Headlong
by Ravenous Ravenblack
Summary: Hiccup is driven away from Berk by Astrid and the gang. What Hiccup doesn't know is that the world is full of surprises, even bad ones, in fact. New people! New Dragons! Romance! Jealousy! Anger! Mystery! Worse yet, on his fateful journey, Hiccup finds something, something so devastating that it might start the dawn of Ragnarok. Way better than what the summary offers!
1. Chapter 1: Detachment

**A/N**: _Welcome! Thanks for dropping by this fanfic. It's my first one, so I would love to hear your thoughts on it. Thanks in advance!_

_Note: The events take place the night before Hiccup's final exam. Also, Hiccup only visited the cove for a short period of time, postponing their departure to late in the evening. So Astrid's flight on Toothless never happened._

_Italics mean that were going into the thoughts of the characters._

_Just clearing things up. Wouldn't want y'all to get confused. ^_^_

**Chapter one: Detachment**

The moon shone brightly, making for a spectacular view of the Ocean as tiny flickering candles illuminated the cobblestone walkway that lead towards the forge. "Toothless, "Hiccup whispered as he ducked under a large bush "Buddy, stay here. I'm just going to get a few supplies and we can leave, okay?"

The Night Fury snorted, as if to say 'yeah, whatever '.

Hiccup and Toothless had become inseparable ever since the incident at Raven Point. Toothless wouldn't allow Hiccup to go into the village alone, knowing that trouble followed the boy wherever he went.

At the same time, Hiccup did not want the Vikings to know about Toothless because of one reason: They would hurt any dragon, especially a Night Fury. Siding with the dragons instead of his tribe was immediately punishable with death. This was the reason they had to leave.

Right now wasn't the time to be thinking about these matters. He needed to concentrate.

"Okay, I'm ready"

The plan: Hiccup was to sneak in and retrieve the materials he needed for their "permanent vacation" then leave without a trace. If he did get caught, they would immediately switch to the fallback plan, which was to get out no matter what.

Toothless gave the boy a small nudge. "Right" Hiccup said worriedly. Toothless didn't fear that Hiccup would get hurt though. The Night Fury would be patiently stalking any potential threats from the safety of a large bush.

Giving Toothless one last nod of acknowledgement, Hiccup got out of the bush and silently made his way towards the forge.

The night was young, the sound of crickets and owls covered up the sounds of his clumsy footsteps. A few more paces and he had made it to the front door of the forge. Thinking about the decision he was about to make, he silently wove his way through a small opening in the window.

"Being thin does have its benefits" Hiccup said to himself, feeling quite pleased.

It was hard to see in the forge. Visibility was poor since the place was usually lit up by the large furnace in the midsection. That didn't stop Hiccup though. He knew this place like the back of his hand.

After a few well placed footsteps, he found his desk.

Large blueprints lined the walls. The Guillotine, the Crossbow, the Decapitator. These were the inventions that he never had the time to create. In the past few weeks, he was usually busy with other things. Namely: Toothless' tailfin, saddle and his very own flying harness.

He rummaged through the drawers of his desk, trying to find the extra foot pedal he once made. 'Just in case' Hiccup thought to himself. He might need it.

With the pedal, they would be able to sustain themselves longer without having to make any repairs. It might just be the deciding factor in a life or death situation. "Better safe than sorry" muttered Hiccup, under his breath.

Unfortunately, his train of thought was broken as a loud sound from the front of the forge filled his ears.

"I know you're in there, Useless!" Snotlout barked. "Don't make me go in there!" Hiccup's mind went into overdrive; his plan couldn't be foiled now.

"Come on out, Dragon Slayer!" Ruffnut said in a mocking tone "Looks like you're little secret's been revealed"

"Found it!" Hiccup was overjoyed to find the small metal contraption .He stuffed it in his brown satchel and made a break for the back door. He ran past the large barrels, containing what seemed to be swords. As he reached the back door, he was faced with another problem. It was blocked by crates the size of boulders. He knew he wouldn't be able to move them but he tried anyways.

Hiccup was becoming frustrated, sweat filling his brow. "Why don't you bud—"Before he could finish, the main door had been kicked open.

"Hiccup, how dare you cheat dragon training!" Astrid was fuming. No, fuming wasn't the right word. She marched over to him and nearly exploded with rage. "I'm going to show you a trick you'll never forget, Hiccup" She stated, pulling his collar and dragging him outside the forge.

The cold air blew over his face. He could see that most of his fellow trainees had come to watch the brutal beating that was about to occur. She pushed him down, and placed a foot on his chest.

"Do you really think we wouldn't find out?" Astrid asked. "We aren't as dumb as you think"

"C'mon Astrid," Tuffnut rasped "Let's get this show on the road."

"Very well, which limb shall I cut off first?" Astrid asked "Your arm seems like a solid start!" She stated as she twirled her axe in a graceful yet deadly arc.

Hiccup's large green eyes had been instilled with fear as he braced himself for the pain that was about to follow. 'I'm so dead' he thought to himself; with that last thought, he closed his eyes.

Although scared, Fishlegs found the urge to step up for Hiccup "A-Astrid, aren't you going a little o-overboard?"

"One limb isn't enough for you?" Astrid replied. The other teens now watched with a variety of mixed emotions, and excitement was one of them.

"C'mon now Astrid" Fishlegs said, now with a much more serious tone "You've got to be joking"

Astrid replied back, looking as deadly as ever. "I don't joke around when it comes to people like him" With that last sentence, she swung her axe downwards, aimed at Hiccup's arm. But before the blow could land, a loud, familiar roar bellowed through the clearing.

The Night Fury pounced on Astrid, throwing her axe off and knocking her unconscious. The other Viking teens merely looked at Toothless with shock. "Toothless!" Hiccup shouted, eyes sparkling with relief "Thanks buddy! I don't know what I would do without you."

Toothless returned the greeting with his signature toothless smile.

The group of Vikings had been shocked out of their minds. 'How in the name of Odin…' Snotlout thought to himself. 'You've got to be kidding me!'

Toothless gave one more loud roar then crouched low to the ground; A signal that it was time for them to take to the skies. "Fishlegs" Hiccup said as he mounted the Night Fury. "Thanks"

"N-n-no problem, Hiccup" Fishlegs said, trying to muster as much confidence as he could. "See you soon then" Hiccup replied, as he clipped his harness onto the saddle.

With that, Toothless rocketed into the air, leaving behind a shocked group of Viking teens to stare as they glided through the twilight sky.

* * *

The night sky evolved into a sea of stars, each star with its own luminescence and color. The air was cold, but the pair of man and beast would not waver, for they were determined to find land —or, at least, a place to land.

"Look, buddy!" Hiccup exclaimed, pointing to the small dot, barely visible, in the middle of the sea. "It's about time we found land, don't you think?" Hiccup let a dry smile spread across his face and Toothless let out what seemed to be a laugh in reply.

The tiny spec was vaguely recognizable but it was the only thing that Hiccup could hope for, as the pair had become quite weary for the bitterness of the evening had pulled them down. They have been flying for 5 hours now, without any breaks, so the sight of land was rejuvenating.

Excited and tired, the pair rushed forward, winds barking at them as they sped through the open sky. They broke through the thin layer of clouds, and could hear the roar of the raging sea beneath them.

The island, as Hiccup came to confirm later, came into view. It was much bigger than Hiccup had expected. Lush forests covered the landscape while tall mountains gave refuge to migrating birds. A large lake and a few smaller ones reflected the spectacular night sky and tiny little lights dotted the landscape.

_'I guess those are fireflies.'_ Hiccup peered in for a better look, only to disappoint himself. He really wanted better vision. Like Toothless' eyesight, perhaps.

"Let's land by the lake" Hiccup instructed his friend, companion and partner. "It would be much easier for both of us" He flicked on the pedal, switching them into the fourth gear, and glided them down, headed towards the large body of water.

Toothless gave a small nod as Hiccup's tiny body melted with his, and together they flew down towards the island.

* * *

The exhausted pair landed in a small clearing to the east of the lake. Hiccup carefully dismounted, and immediately thanked the gods for having landed safely. They wouldn't want that unfortunate mishap during their first flight to happen once more. Toothless, whom Hiccup expected to curl up and get some rest, dashed off in the direction of the lake, which was not too far from their location, in search of food.

'_All righty then._' Hiccup turned around, and surprisingly found a huge rock. He placed his satchel, which had been slung around his shoulder, by the edge of the rock. _'I guess I'm getting the firewood._'

Hiccup turned towards the direction of the woods, which was opposite to that of the lake, and started to walk in that direction. He was half way into the entrance when he was started by Toothless, who just appeared out of no where. The Night Fury was holding two large fish in his mouth, (Fish that Hiccup could not identify.) and dropped them in front of the rider.

Toothless huffed victoriously, to prove his dominance over the skinny boy. "Oh whatever," Hiccup said in his usual sarcastic tone, and he proceeded to gather the fish from the soft, grass covered earth. Toothless, who now seemed to be full of energy, rushed back to their newly established campsite, leaving Hiccup in the dust.

When the dragon reached their place, he lit up a small fire, which then grew to an unbelievable size. Hiccup had just turned around to see the flame, and was captured by the feeling of warmth. "You can do everything, can't you?"

He walked to the source of the fire, and sat down in front of it, letting the soft grass cushion his behind. He then lazily reached out for his satchel and took out two large sticks, that he later used to poke the fish. He put the fish over the fire, letting it cook, and stared deep into the flames.

"We're in for one hell of a ride, bud"

* * *

**A/N**: _How did you guys like the first chapter? I'm pretty sure that most of you might say that Astrid is a little bit out of character but, she's only acting that way because she couldn't hold her rage anymore._

_I'll update as soon as I can! Oh, don't forget to review! =D_

_Ravenblack_


	2. Chapter 2: Daybreak

**A/N**_: Thanks for the awesome reviews guys! I wrote the first two chapters ahead of time so that pretty much explains why I uploaded the second one so quickly. I'm also trying to figure out an update schedule :| I'll inform you once I have one._

_Note: Some of the dragons that might appear in the story are coming from the books by Cressida Cowell. Oh and, I don't own HTTYD._

_Enjoy! =D_

**Chapter two: Daybreak**

Hiccup woke up to a wet, slimy feeling that covered most of his upper body. The cold liquid was quickly registered in his mind, and there was only one dragon to blame. "Toothless!" He shouted, part annoyed, part playful, and got up from where he was laying immediately."Bad dragon! Don't you dare do that again." Toothless did not acknowledge the request and just gave Hiccup a happy, toothless smile, as Hiccup brushed off the saliva from his tunic.

Hiccup, who was barely awake, took the liberty in scanning the surrounding area. The sun was a little bit above the mountain range, and the clouds had not shone themselves yet. Sounds of small birds and animals filled the wide area, resonating from the trees in the forest, and some fish could be seen jumping in and out of the water.

Hiccup looked up, and estimated that it was about eight in the morning. (Judging by the sun's position) It would not be too bad of an idea to leave the island early, for they could cover more ground that way. Wherever they were going.

"Let's get some breakfast and we can leave" Hiccup put his arms over his head and let out a loud yawn. Toothless excitedly wagged his tail in anticipation. He couldn't wait to get into the air again; after all, it was his forte. I mean, who wouldn't want to go flying?

Toothless got up hurriedly, and immediately dashed off in the direction of the lake, leaving behind large chunks of mud that came at Hiccup. "Amazing." Hiccup said sarcastically, and slowly brushed off the mud from his tunic.

He made a mental note that he had to wash it later.

"Right then, since you're doing everything," Hiccup sat down in the warm grass, and leaned against his rock. "I might as well just learn." He said, and turned his head to see Toothless ducking his head in the water, trying to catch fish. And Hiccup couldn't help but smile at his friend.

_'You really are amazing, bud'_

* * *

Astrid was furious.

Although the young Viking had taken Hiccup's place in dragon training, she still couldn't forgive him for what he had done. He had betrayed them. He betrayed Berk, for the sake of his cursed dragon! It was the lowest any Viking, or human, could go.

_'Who in the whole world would do that?' _

Hiccup would, and he would be punished for it, that Astrid was certain. But only if ever her former classmate would return to the island, and she would personally give him a big slap in the face. But even then, it would be highly unlikely for him to return.

Astrid's thoughts were broken by Gobber, who she now noticed to be talking to her.

"Astrid," Gobber said, opening the large metal gate that led into the arena. "It's time." She stepped into the arena with a loud huff, and quickly realized where she was. The large stone walls, and curved wires were familiar to her. This was the place where they trained every day, and it was also the place where Hiccup cheated everyone.

The arena was completely empty, save for the large rack of weapons to the right. She walked over to the rack, her footsteps, much louder than usual. The large multitude of Vikings watching her closely, as she reached the rack. She stood there for a moment, carefully thinking about the decision she was about to make.

It seemed like forever when she finally decided on a shield and ax combo. She took the shield from the rack, and carefully held it with her left hand. Then, using her right hand, took the familiar ax from the rack. It was her ax.

She gripped the weapons tightly, and raised her ax to Gobber, who was standing by the large metal rod used for opening the colossal wooden doors that held the beast.

"Ready, Astrid?" Gobber called out from the other side.

"Ready" Astrid shouted back confidently, slowly bending her knees and compressing her body into her fighting stance.

Gobber slowly pulled one of the metal chains, the other being pulled by Spitelout, Snotlout's father. The large stone pillar was slowly lifted from the wooden gate, as cheers of eager Vikings slowly emerged from the silence.

The door was half way up when a large red dragon with long snout burst into the arena. '_The Monstrous Nightmare_' Astrid thought to herself. The large dragon had set itself on fire, a technique it commonly used to fight off Viking attackers but, Astrid would not falter. She was determined to be the best warrior in all of Berk, nothing more and nothing less.

"Let's dance, Ugly" She muttered, rushing forward to strike the dragon's long snout. The Nightmare instinctively spat fire at the young girl. Astrid raised the shield up, only to find out that it didn't offer much protection against the flames. Unable to stand the heat, Astrid allowed herself to fall back, as a blinding pain crawled up her arm. She gave herself the pleasure of a quick glance, and was not pleased with what she saw. Her arm, which was now a bright shade of red, was bleeding furiously.

The fight wasn't looking too good for her.

Astrid needed to focus. repositioning herself that her back was faced to the wall, she let out another loud huff, ignoring the pain that had been recently inflicted upon her. "Come here, devil" She taunted, making a face, and slowly raising her ax higher and higher.

The Nightmare was enraged, small flames sprouting all over it's body. The large beast pounced on the blonde but, quick as Astrid was, she quickly rolled to the side. The dragon's head, having nothing to cushion the charge, slammed into the stone wall, leaving large cracks along its surface.

The dragon, disoriented as it was, didn't see Astrid coming towards it. She jumped onto the beast, causing it to run around furiously, and slashed down on its neck, resulting in blood spraying everywhere, and some, onto the faces of onlookers. She sliced and hacked away until a bruised, bloody corpse was all that was left of the large beast.

Victoriously, she plopped down to pick up the fowl beast's head and proudly raised it up. The crowd, which had been a mix of noisy and silent for most of the fight, had burst into louder screams and shouts of joy and victory.

All except one.

* * *

_Stoic's face bore no emotion._

For once, he thought that his son had accepted the ways of the Vikings, their code, and everything it meant to be a Viking. Hiccup had done exceptionally well in Dragon Training during past few weeks, and was even chosen by the Elder to fight the Monstrous Nightmare. The confused father couldn't figure out why the young boy left.

He looked upon Astrid bending down to pick up the dragon's head, and tried to keep a straight face.

Realization slowly seeped in; He didn't even know his own son. The reason of his disappearance had remained a mystery to the entire Village but, no one really seemed to care about Hiccup more than he did. He was there, then he was gone.

Astrid was chosen to take Hiccup's place in the final exam and Stoic couldn't help but feel depressed. That privilege had been meant for his son, not for Astrid. And after all the things that they went through, he still could not believe that Hiccup had left.

He still cared for his son.

As he watched the crowds of Vikings praise Astrid, an idea clicked into his head. Astrid! She was spreading rumors about Hiccup's so-called tricks on the day he had left. And it was more than a lead than Stoic could hope for. Maybe she could be the reason why he left, and maybe there was still hope of finding his son.

"Astrid" He said, rising from his chair and silencing the crowd as he rose. "Congratulations. Oh, and if you don't mind, please come over to my house. We need to discuss some… matters." He turned around and started walking towards his house.

The crowd turned their heads towards the young Viking with mixed emotions, soft whispers and gossip could be heard from the Vikings, and Astrid didn't like it. She scanned the crowd for anything suspicious but found nothing. What she found were the different emotions that the Vikings showed. Some faces bore shock, while others, sadness. Turning her back once more from the crowd, Astrid thought to herself.

_'What in Thor's name have I done to deserve this?'_

* * *

"This is really good" Hiccup gobbled down another tasty piece of fish. "How do you hunt like that, bud? " He asked, taking another already cut piece and shoving it into his mouth. Toothless gave his rider a flat face, a little annoyed, as what Hiccup could imagine.

"Right." Hiccup finished his meal, and brushed off the little crumbs off his tunic. "You're a Night Fury." Hiccup said, and got up from where he was sitting.

"You ready to fly?" The rider asked his friend, looking up towards the glaring sun. It was probably midday by now, the sun being directly above the pair. Toothless nodded and started bouncing around playfully, wanting to be high in the skies once again.

"Okay then, let's –" Hiccup's words were interrupted by a loud roar, one that he never heard of.

Toothless' playful mood disappeared, quickly he quickly became agitated. The Night Fury let out a growl, and he bared his teeth, ready to protect his young rider. "What was that?" Hiccup looked to the sound of the roar, the forest. The roar became even louder, signaling that whatever creature was behind the trees, was getting closer.

A mix of emotions appeared within Hiccup, fear being the most prominent, as a bead of sweat slowly trickled on his face.

Suddenly, a large dragon burst out and into the clearing, roaring and holding its ground in front of the pair. It was a magnificent sight, and Hiccup could have appreciated it better if was not so scared.

The dragon was faint shade of green, with four large wings, shaped as crescents. It stood up like a Nadder, strong and proud, and showed resemblance in its beak structure. Its tail was long and curved, strong enough to smack down a tree. The large dragon let out another loud roar, revealing its bone covered, arrow shaped tongue.

"ArrowJaw," Hiccup said, his fear turning into excitement. No Viking ever saw the mysterious dragon, only hearing about it in tales and myths, and he was probably the first to ever see one up close. "There, there." Hiccup slowly approached the large dragon. "There's no need to be scared, we won't harm you."

The unfamiliar dragon seemed to relax a bit, its eyes observing the small human with utmost curiosity. "My name's Hiccup, and this here is my friend, Toothless." He gestured to Toothless, and the Night Fury gave the ArrowJaw his signature toothless smile. The ArrowJaw stared at the pair like they were from another planet, but that didn't stop them from trying.

'_If a Night Fury could trust this human, then so can I'_ The ArrowJaw thought to itself. '_I hope.'_

Willingly, Hiccup stretched his arm, looking at the ground as he did so. The palm of his hand just inches away from the Dragon's snout. '_What is he doing?' _The ArrowJaw looked even more confused, and starting backing away from Hiccup.

The large green dragon, a tad bit frightened, took a glance at Toothless, unsure what the human meant by the gesture, and Toothless just gave her a controlled nod. The ArrowJaw, frightened and scared, risked it.

_'I hope this human is different from the rest of them.'_

And she put her large snout onto the Hiccup's palm. Hiccup then looked up at the ArrowJaw, and flashed her his crooked smile. "Thanks." Putting his hand down, he scratched the lower parts of the dragon's neck, which resulted in playful laughter from both sides. And after a hour or two, they finally got tired.

"Well then," Hiccup exclaimed, feeling pleased with what just happened. "Let's give her a name, bud!"

Toothless started to jump around playfully and full of joy, playing with his new friend. "Aha! Let's name her Grace" Hiccup suggested. "No, that name's too simple." He said, quickly banishing the idea. He wanted the dragon's name to reflect her; but at the same time, instill a feeling of uniqueness. Like Toothless' name for example. It was unique, and it also resembled the Night Fury's personality in some sort of way.

"Evergreen" Hiccup finally said, feeling proud of the name. "That's your new name." The ArrowJaw gave Toothless a confused look but Toothless simple smiled once more, as the smile seemed to calm and relax the dragon.

The newly named dragon tried to mimic the smile, but failed doing so. Even if, the ArrowJaw felt unusually happy about her new name. "Well, at least someone's happy about their name." Hiccup said, showing off his crooked smile to Evergreen once more. The large dragon let out a loud roar, coming out more happy than menacing.

"I guess we could stay here one more night, right bud?" Hiccup was feeling unusually happy too. Toothless gave him an excited nod and ran off to play with Evergreen.

* * *

**A/N**: _How did you find the second chapter?_

_The ArrowJaw originally came from the books, but the description was vague so I added a few more details. I included the ArrowJaw into the story because it seemed fitting for the position Hiccup is in at the moment. Since its habitat was lush forests and lakes, it seemed like a perfect fit!_

_Gimme your thoughts on this! Suggestions are always appreciated. Oh, don't forget to review! ^_^_

_Ravenblack_


	3. Chapter 3: Shock

**A/N**: _Hey guys!_

_I would once again like to thank all those reading the story, adding it to their favorites, reviewing, and subscribing. THANK YOU! =D_

_I will be out of town this weekend, so don't expect any updates. I might be able to update on Sunday evening or early on Monday._

_Anyways, Enjoy!_

**Chapter three: Shock**

Night wove its way into the clearing, the stars glistened through out the evening sky. It had been two days since the arrival of Evergreen in their tiny refuge.

Two dragons walked to the campsite from the lake, bringing a mouthful of fish in their mouths. They set their food down carefully on the warm soil, and then went over to the campfire, probably to gaze upon the flames. Dragons don't need warmth.

Hiccup was leaning on a large rock, just a few feet from the fire. He had his brown, munched up notebook on his lap, a pen in his hand, and a satchel at his side. He watched the two dragons with intense curiosity as they slowly laid down by the flames. Hiccup had noticed that Toothless and Evergreen curled up into little balls when they slept, and he took a moment to jot down some notes.

After he finished, he turned the pages of the small book. A good few pages lead him to find a certain portion in the book that he wanted to show to the dragons.

"Hey buddy, look at this." He said, opening the notebook slowly as he tried to find the right page, his fingers fumbling at the pages that made up the notebook. Toothless merely looked at the boy, trying to guess what his rider had in store for him. Hiccup stopped at a page, looked at it for a moment, and then turned the notebook around to give Toothless and Evergreen a peak.

Toothless and Evergreen's eyes widened in unison.

It was a sketch of them, playing in the crystal clear lake, water splashing everywhere. The two dragons had wild, crazy smiles on their faces. Evergreen was near the edge of the lake while Toothless, who was jumping in the sketch, was high above the ground.

Toothless gave his rider a playful smile, but Evergreen just looked at the drawing, unable to clear a reaction. Hiccup flipped the page, revealing another beautifully sketched drawing of Toothless catching fish in the lake, with one jumping out of the Night Fury's mouth.

Hiccup flashed them a goofy smile. "Like it?" Evergreen gave him a slow, sad smile.

'_What's up with her?'_ Hiccup thought, but his concern was immediately broken by something very large.

The Night Fury jumped on his rider, resulting in Hiccup having to lean against the rock harder. Toothless licked his rider's face, giving Hiccup a slimy, wet bath once again. "Toothless!" Hiccup shouted, trying to be angry, but he knew that he could not win this one as Toothless simply continued licking. "Alright, alright! You win." He said, causing Toothless, who now had a wide smile across his face, to take a few steps back.

"Hey Evergreen," Hiccup said, regaining his composure, as he wiped the saliva off his face. "Why don't you stay for one more night?" He said, rubbing his eye.

The large dragon looked at Hiccup, as if trying to remember something. "What's wrong, girl?" Hiccup asked, his curiosity pinged. The ArrowJaw sniffed the air, and looked up to the sky, and suddenly took off in the direction of the forest, walking at a fast pace.

Hiccup was dumbfounded.

_ What could possibly be so important for dragons that they couldn't stay for just one more night?_ But what surprised him the most what the odd tail gesture, which Evergreen showed to them. Her

Her tail was moving up and down, kicking up the mud. Hiccup did not get it, but Toothless immediately understood the action, shaking his head to the direction Evergreen had walked off to. That Hiccup could understand. Evergreen had gestured for the pair to follow her wherever she was going.

Hiccup and Toothless took to the forest immediately, walking in the footsteps that the large, green dragon had newly created in the mud.

* * *

Hiccup, Toothless and Evergreen entered the woods and found themselves immediately surrounded by large trees, blocking out the rays of the moon. The trio walked at a quick pace, but they were careful enough to avoid anything that moved in or out of the bushes. Evergreen led the way, followed by a curious Hiccup and then Toothless, who was instructed by Evergreen to guard their backs. The ArrowJaw had been acting cautiously, as if some sort of danger lurked in the woods.

After what seemed to be an eternity, they found a large opening through the trees. Evergreen stepped in first, followed by Hiccup, then Toothless. And what they saw didn't disappoint. The two dragons, along with the human found themselves in a large clearing within the woods.

The trees to the right gave in to a cascading waterfall that was about 30 feet tall. Wet soil, moss and a few bits of grass covered the landscape, large trees circled around the area. A raging river cut through the center, separating the earth.

Evergreen flew over the large river effortlessly and then slowly made her way to a large tree that stood out among the ones in the circle. It was larger than most of the ones in the clearing, and much other too, for some of the branches had wilted. She laid down, and slowly curled into a ball beside it. Hiccup and Toothless looked at each other for a moment, Hiccup trying to decide how he was going to get across.

He thought for a bit more, and then came to an obvious conclusion. "C'mon, bud." Toothless rolled his eyes, and allowed Hiccup to ride on him. Immediately as Hiccup got on, the pair flew over the large river with ease, taking only about a second doing so.

They landed in the exact same spot as Evergreen landed, and proceeded to walk over to where the ArrowJaw sat. Hiccup and Toothless eyed the tree with curiosity.

"What's so special about this place?" Hiccup said. "Rather, this tree?" Evergreen looked at him, her eyes widening, full of shock but Hiccup's gaze was fixed on examining the tree. _'I'm guessing that they don't know what under here...' _She thought. _'These humans don't know anything, and neither does that Night Fury._' She looked at Toothless, who seemed to be mimicking Hiccup's actions.

She roared at Hiccup, grabbing his attention, and then took the moment to carefully dig the soft mud underneath her resting area, revealing something that blew Hiccup out of his mind.

Sitting there, buried under the soft mud, were four large, white eggs.

"…."

Hiccup was overwhelmed! Evergreen was a mother. The young lad had always wondered how a dragon came to be, and now, he had the chance to observe it in action. Ideas started popping up into his mind. Were the cycles different for each dragon species? How do they pick the right place to lay their eggs? And how would this single mother be able to find food while protecting her eggs?

The eggs don't seem solid, as if the shell was soft, He observed. Reluctantly, he reached out to touch the eggs, and doing so made Evergreen agitated, causing her eyes to change shape into a solid vertical line. She let out a loud growl, warning the boy not to interfere with the process. "Hmmm," Hiccup murmured "Very protective, aren't you?" A smile slowly formed on his face '_I really have to write this down_' He thought to himself. '_These facts might prove useful later on._'

"Don't worry," Hiccup assured the young mother, who slowly became more and more relaxed. "We'll protect them, isn't that right, bud?" He looked over to Toothless, who gave his fellow dragon a smiling nod. Evergreen looked at him, a bit confused.

'_Why would this human waste his time on my eggs?_' She thought. '_I've brought him food but, there's no reason for him to risk his life protecting them._'

"You alright with that, Evergreen?" Hiccup asked. She stared at the boy for a while longer before turning away to cover up her eggs in the mud. _Hiccup wasn't one to hurt people_, as Toothless had told her a while back. She trusted Toothless, for the same reason the dragon trusted Hiccup, since Toothless could practically kill her in a second.

She gave the boy a nod, and then proceeded to lay down on her eggs.

"Great! I guess we'll be sleeping here then." Hiccup exclaimed. "C'mon Toothless, let's go get my stuff." The Night Fury snorted, as if to dislike the idea, and give Hiccup a flat face. "Oh, c'mon! The extra pedal is back there." Hiccup said, noticing that Toothless didn't move from where he was standing. And Toothless still didn't budge.

"Did I forget to mention that your pedal is about to break?" Hiccup said devilishly. Toothless immediately jerked at the sentence, and dashed off to the river, where he waited impatiently for his rider.

"Alright, let's go."

* * *

"Astrid," Stoic said firmly. "What exactly happened between you and Hiccup on the night before he left?"

Astrid looked at the ground below her feet, her face beaded with sweat. "Well," She said, in a low voice. "I… uhm… threatened him." She said, letting out a sigh as she spoke. The young Viking had taken a sudden interest to the wooden flooring beneath them.

"You WHAT?" Stoic said, raising his voice to shouting level, his face engulfed by anger and rage. "You didn't even have proof that he was cheating!" Stoic was never this angry before, as he always kept his composure but, in the tiny room where they spoke, he let out all his emotions, making Astrid feel unsafe.

"Look at it closer then! Don't you notice that he didn't hurt any of them!"Astrid replied, trying to stand up to the greatest Viking warrior in the tribe but, her voice had failed her, slowly getting lower by the word. Stoic face palmed.

"Astrid," Stoic said with utmost formality, removing his hand from his face. "I can't believe I'm saying this." He paused for a moment, and then continued. "You were the best warrior of your generation, a fine one indeed but, your rash actions may cause some unwanted… consequences."

"Chief," Astrid said, her faced filled with worry. "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm sorry Astrid, but" Stoic said, letting out a loud sigh as he did so. "I'll have to exile you." With that, all of Astrid's suspicions were confirmed.

"What?" She said angrily but then changed her expression, being on the verge of tears. "Chief, please don't do this to me!"

"Astrid," The chief said, his tone, steady. "I'm sorry, it has to be done. I will talk to your parents about this issue soon enough but, expect about a month or two, just to help you cool down a bit."

Astrid remained quiet, trying to take in what was being presented before her. _'The chief obviously doesn't know what's going on_' she thought, contemplating on how she should convince him to believe her. Astrid was a go-getter, someone who worked with what they were presented with, someone who obeyed the rules and regulations of society, and someone who did things the way everyone else did.

She wasn't going to let a two month exile stop her from devising a cunning plan to convince him, more so, the exile would give her time to think about her next move. "Very well, chief." She said, at last, projecting a large amount of confidence as she did so.

"You may go now, Astrid" Stoic said, firmly dismissing the young Viking.

* * *

**A/N**:_ Oh noes! Astrid is being exiled! :(_

_Well, I really wanted to portray the care Stoic has for his son, Hiccup. As every father cares for his son, no matter what wrongs he's done. Even so, Astrid doesn't have any sufficient proof that Hiccup was cheating, so that convinces Stoic to exile her even more._

_Sorry if it's a little short. Oh and, Gimme your thoughts about the story! R&R guys!_

_Ravenblack_


	4. Chapter 4: Encounter

**A/N**_: Hey y'all!_

_Sorry for the somewhat late update and the short chapter :( I was busy jet skiing =D_

_Anyways, enjoy the chapter!_

**Chapter four: Encounter**

The morning sun shone brightly, making the river sparkle. The sun's rays seeped into Hiccup's eyes, the warmth of the sun spread across his face. The young lad groggily pushed himself into a sitting position, and then scanned the clearing for his dragon.

"Toothless," He said, still disoriented from the sun, and rubbing his eyes. "Toothless?" He repeated, this time, slightly raising his voice. He scanned his surroundings once more, and started to panic—just a little bit, though. His dragon and their new friend had disappeared but, that was not the only thing that went missing.

The eggs, they had all but disappeared! The culprit, who ever he or she may be, left a large hole where they used to be buried under. '_Where did the eggs go!?_' He thought. _'Damn it, Loki.' _Hiccup hurriedly got up from his sitting position, and ran around the cove in a doomed effort to find Toothless.

"Toothless! Evergreen!" Hiccup yelled, beads of sweat streaming down his face. He was trying hard not to panic, but he knew that the feeling would soon take over. _Where could have they gone? Were they captured? Wait, are there even Vikings on this island? _

Hiccup's mind raced, trying desperately to form a lead on where the dragons had gone, when suddenly a large roar came from within the stocked woods. The roar sent a flock of birds darting from the center. Hiccup dashed to his satchel rock. Quickly strapping on his satchel, he ran into the river, only to be stopped by another loud noise, this time sounding like a scream more than a roar.

A large explosion erupted from the forest, sending debris flying. "TOOTHLESS!" Hiccup shouted, a surge of energy passed through him. He hurriedly crossed the river, and dashed into the forest, panting.

The forest was dense and thick, covering most of the sunlight. Hiccup couldn't see where he was heading anymore; thus he had to rely on his sense of smell, carelessly sniffing his way through the trees. He was trying to catch the scent of burning wood, and luckily, he did. But the smell was faint. _'Too much vines in here' _He thought and took out his sword, a small silver blade with a leather grip. He hacked his way to the source of the smell. He sliced and diced through thick layers of vines, and after a good five minutes, reached the explosion grounds.

It was a rather small clearing, only being expanded by a large crater on the ground. On one side of the crater, stood Vikings, dressed in full leather— _wait, leather?_—armor, wielding bows, small axes and spears; and on the other side were two dragons that he quickly recognized.

"Toothless!"He shouted and ran to his dragon, who was making a threatening pose. The young lad startled the Vikings on the other side. He hugged his dragon, and said: "Buddy, what happened?" Toothless narrowed his fierce eyes towards the confused Vikings on the other side, who quickly turned aggressive at the gesture, and raised their weapons in protest.

"Boy! Get away from that dragon!" Shouted a large man from within the crowd. "You're going to hurt yourself!"

"No! Let him be!" Shouted a small man. He seemed to be the leader of the bunch—about ten Vikings, I would say. '_Funny how this guy leads the bunch...'_ Hiccup thought.

"But Aldrich! He is merely a—"

"I said NO!" Aldrich said, cutting off the woman, who was looking at Hiccup with demoralized pity.

Toothless growled at the crowd, and spit small cinders near his feet. The crowd, although proud and stubborn, took a few steps back. "Toothless," Hiccup said, with a small smirk on his face. "Don't scare them" he said and patted him on his back. Toothless looked over his shoulder and gave his rider a tiny smile.

"These dragons aren't dangerous!" Hiccup shouted, eyes trailing to their small leader. Aldrich was his name...was it not?. "My name is Hiccup, this is Toothless" He said, gesturing to the Night Fury. "The ArrowJaw is Evergreen" He turned to see Evergreen, who seemed to relax at the sight of Hiccup. "I suggest that you don't harm us, or I'll be forced to hurt you."

"HA! You? Hurt us?" A small man, wielding a bow, mocked. "Don't make me laugh, boy." He raised his bow, and pointed it at Toothless. "Now, step aside."

"Have you seen what a Night Fury can do?" Hiccup shot back at him angrily, and took a step forward.

"No, not really but, it seems to be downed. What a glorious chance for us to slaughter it! " Aldrich replied, somewhat pinged. Hiccup replied to him with an evil smile, causing the Vikings to doubt. "What is he planning..." Came a low voice from withing the crowd.

Hiccup put his arm up, gesturing for the Viking to come forth. He was taunting them.

"Why you little…C'mon guys! Let's show this punk what real Viking can do!" Aldrich growled, his face turning red with rage as he threw his bow to the side, and pulled out an axe. "Death to the Dragon!" He shouted, running down the crater with the large Viking force following him. Screams and shouts of glory engulfed the claring.

"Let's show them what we can do, shall we bud?" Hiccup hurriedly mounted Toothless, who already had hid riding gear on. "I really want to avoid bloodshed but, we've got the protect Evergreen." He said, his voice trailing off, as Toothless shot him a look that he'd never seen before. Toothless was burning with rage. Not the rage when he first saw him, but rage with a purpose. The Night Fury wanted to protect Evergreen.

"Well, well." Aldrich said, as reached the top of the huge crater. "Looks like we've got you surrounded."

"No, not quite." Hiccup said calmly, as Toothless, with a dose of energy, took off into the skies. The wind was in Hiccup's face, a feeling he truly appreciated. The pair soared higher and higher into the clouds. Just as they reached the top, they switched directions, and plunged into a sharp nosedive, headed towards the lush island.

_'The sound of a Night Fury is the worst sound you'll ever hear._' Hiccup thought, as he pressed himself into Toothless.

As they approached the ground, Toothless shot a fireball into the center of the bunch, scattering them all over the crater. Hiccup quickly switched gears, as the pair slowly climbed then descended. They landed in front of Aldrich. Their landing was perfect! Better than any of the previous ones, and would definitely impress the Viking bunch.

Aldrich slowly got up, disoriented and wide eyed in fear. "Okay okay!" He said, scared, as if trying to stand up to a bully. "We won't hurt 'em!" He said, as his fellow Vikings slowly got up. They were bruised and burned, and to imagine, that was only one fireball from Toothless. "What was that..." One of them said in a low voice, and stumbled.

"Good" Hiccup replied formally. "Now, leave us."

* * *

The sun, now a burning ball of scarlet light, was low in the sky. The sea, shining beautifully with red light. As beautiful one would imagine it. Yet, as the beautiful scenery presented itself before the young Vikings, they could not help but sadden themselves with the dismissal of a friend.

"Bye Astrid" Fishlegs said sadly. The large boy was on the verge of tears. They were standing by the entrance to the woods. Fishlegs was looking at Astrid, and Astrid, was looking at him. "We'll miss you."

Astrid gave him a small caring smile, since Fishlegs was the only one who showed up to send her off. He was also the one who didn't get in trouble, since the blonde took down Snotlout and twins with her, though they would only receive punishment from their parents. She would feel sorry for doing that later on.

"It's only two months, Fish" Astrid replied wearily, and Fishlegs looked at her with pity. "Hey! At least I found a cove down by Raven Point. That could provide me food and shelter." She said, trying desperately to cheer herself up. She knew it was not going to work. Her reputation would be tarnished, and she would have to live in some cove for two long months.

She didn't like the idea but, she had to put up with it. Well, she didn't have any other choice. "I guess this is goodbye, Fish. I'm not allowed to be here past sunset, so I'm going to go now." She said, her head held low, and picked up her bags from the ground.

"Okay then, good luck, Astrid." He said sadly. He knew it would be depressing without her. Astrid plopped her bags over her shoulder, and slowly walked towards the woods. "So long, Astrid."

* * *

Astrid's mind was filled with thoughts as she made her way across large fallen trees, boulders and rivers. She was on her way to the cove, yet little did she know that the cove used to be the residing place of the dragon, to whom she had a burning hatred for. '_Damn that Hiccup.' _She thought. _'I'm so going to kill him for this.'_

The sun was gone, and the moon had risen in the sky. The stars had come out, and the nocturnal beasts started appearing. Sounds of the night slowly made their way to her ears.

She kept on walking, till finally, after a good few minutes, she reached a small rock formation. _'It's about time this damn rock showed itself._' It was the entrance to the cove. She bent under the rock, pushed aside the vines, and saw her home for the next two months.

The cove was large. A lake, which would serve as her food resource, was positioned in the upper right. A large tree was by the lake, and could provide her shelter. Finally, a large boulder stood at the left.

Astrid was standing on top of a cliff, and the only way to get down was to climb down.

Slowly latching on to small rocks on the walls, she lowered herself down the soft grass. '_There is something about this place_' she thought. There was an eerie, mysterious feeling in the air, and she could help but notice it. She examined her surroundings, and to her surprise, there were traces of what she expected.

Human settlement. The signs were clear, but as fascinating as they were, nothing could compare to what she found next. There was a small stick placed and a large branch placed beside the tall tree that provided shelter, there were small metal bolts on the ground, and there were large dragon footprints beside the water.

She curiously examined the footprints. '_A Monstrous Nightmare?...No, it can't be. The footprints are too small for a Nightmare_' she thought. '_A Nadder…no, a Nadder's footprint isn't shaped like that'_ She thought, as she scanned her brain for dragon footprints. Why is it that she forgets the most important of details at the most important of situations. '_Think brain, think!'_

Astrid spent more time thinking about the print. '_ArrowJaw?_' She thought. '_No... that cannot be possible.' _Astrid paused for a moment, and gathered her thoughts back together. _'Wait...'_

"I think I might just know what these are..."

* * *

_Ravenblack_


	5. Chapter 5: Thought

**A/N**: _Hey guys!_

_I think I've found an update schedule. =D it's probably going to be one update every 5 days (maximum of 5 days, updates can be posted earlier) (P.S I just returned to this chapter, and would like to inform you that my chapters might have a tendency to be late. When I mean late, I mean very late. Please forgive me if I do post these chapters late. **08/15/12**)_

_Oh and by the way, I had a lot of trouble writing this chapter. It is my first time writing something like this. You know, thoughts and everything. But, anyways, I hope I did good enough for you guys to enjoy it._

_So, please do enjoy! Don't forget to review and favorite the story if you liked it. :)_

_Ravenblack_

* * *

**Chapter five: Thought**

The coldness of the night seemed to wash away. The large campfire burned brightly, sending out waves of warmth and illuminating the surrounding trees. Buzzing and crickets sounded through the clearing. Hiccup was sitting down by the campfire, Toothless behind him. He looked up, and fixed his gaze upon a lonely star in the night sky.

The night sky had clusters of shining stars, each with their own luminance and distinct shade. All of the stars were grouped up in their individual constellations. Well, all but a tiny star in the far end of the sky.

"I wonder," He said, pulling his vest closer to himself. Hiccup turned his head around to see Toothless, who he leaned on. "Will we ever find home?" Toothless slowly turned his head away from the sleeping ArrowJaw, who seemed to be very relaxed in the cool mud, and faced the young boy. Staring into his deep green eyes, he gave his rider a playful grin. '_We'll find it soon enough_' the Night Fury seemed to say, cocking his head towards the sky. Hiccup wasn't so sure about that.

He knew it would be hard to find a home. He knew it would be hard to be accepted by dragons. But, seeing the distinctive effort his loyal companion made, Hiccup could not help but smile back at Toothless. Toothless was always his ray of hope, his escape from the world.

"Hmm, I guess you're right" Hiccup said. He was comforted in the loving support of his dragon. But deep down inside, he was scared. He didn't want to forget his previous home just yet. He actually did not want to leave Berk but, the circumstances forced him to.

Hiccup's eyes trailed to the campfire, and he put a hand through his hair, sliding his bangs to the side to avoid the strands from piercing his eyes. He tried to hold in his thoughts. He couldn't tell Toothless that he was plagued with unrelenting visions of the past. The young boy couldn't help think that it was wrong to abandon Berk. He still believed that Berk could see the truth about dragons. He still hoped and he still believed in those hard headed Vikings.

The young lad started to rub his eyes, trying to stay awake. _'No,'_ he thought to himself. _'If we hadn't left, they would have killed Toothless.'_ True, by a matter of fact. They would have killed Toothless. But he just could not forget the brief moments of joy he had in Berk.

"I was accepted…" Hiccup said softly, not loud enough for anyone to hear, as he reminisced the past few weeks. Snotlout and the others, excluding Astrid, would occasionally eat with him, join him after dragon training. Those days, he believed that he actually _had_ friends on Berk. It felt amazing since a friend was something he never had the privilege of having. He knew it was one of his better experiences on Berk.

But, alas, he also knew that it wouldn't last long. His methods, if ever discovered, were deceitful to the Vikings and, he knew he would have to face them at one point._ I mean, come on! Dragon training? No one would ever accept him now._ He just did not expect it to be so soon and, worst of all, he didn't expect Astrid to discover his little secret.

_'It was very unlikely indeed_' he thought. '_Mph, Astrid actually figured it out. Smart girl._' Hiccup considered the fact that his childhood crush would never acknowledge his presence, or even talk to him unless absolutely necessary. Most importantly, she would never EVER include herself in his business. Hiccup looked up to the sky once more and hypothesized about the possible reasons why she could have found out.

He paused for a moment, and diverted his eyes back to the campfire. Oh, it was so very obvious. '_Astrid was jealous_' He thought, and his arrogant side took over. _'Really, really jealous.' _What a experience that was.

Hiccup's mind wandered off, and he recalled all his previous experiences on Berk. The times when his father would look down on him, the times when the village called him Useless, the times when Snotlout and Tuffnut bullied him. Yeah, he remembered most of 'em bad experiences. But Berk was not so bad, though...because he had one experience he had to be thankful for. It was an experience that would change his life, and it would not be forgotten.

"Toothless" He said, lifting his hand off the ground to pat the Night Fury's head. "Thank you"

The Night Fury cocked it head towards its rider, confused and slightly pinged. '_What for?'_ Toothless seemed to say. Hiccup could pretty much understand Toothless' body movements. "For being there for me," Hiccup said softly "when no one else was." The dragon merely flashed his signature smile at his rider, causing Hiccup to chuckle.

His eyes followed a small firefly floating in the distance. It fluttered, and started to beep out its mating call. Seeing this, the lad let out a small sigh. "I wonder how my dad's doing" He said to himself, looking over to his side to check on the sleeping Evergreen once more, who was guarding her eggs most cautiously.

_'Dad…_' He thought, remembering the disappointment in his father's eyes. '_He must be pretty happy to see me gone_.' He thought as his face saddened. He paused for a moment, and rubbed his semi-teary eyes.

"Well…" Hiccup said, recomposing himself, and turning his head towards Toothless. "Why don't we get some sleep?"

The dragon would have nothing of it, as he didn't trust that the humans would not come back to hunt them. Toothless perched low to the ground and gave Hiccup and shake of the head. The dragon then proceeded to a large tree by which he would watch over them. "Okay then, bud" Hiccup said, bidding goodnight to the dragon. He took out a large mat from his satchel, placed it down, and lay down on it on the soft, grassy earth, his back facing Toothless.

"You sure bud?" Hiccup asked, turning over to look at his friend once more. Toothless gave him a polite nod, and then fixed his gaze on the crescent moon. "Well, Goodnight" He said, turning over to face the fire once more.

* * *

"This human means more to me than anyone else" Toothless said calmly.

The sun was barely over the horizon, dimly illuminating the fingers of grass that lay on the earth. The sound of nocturnal animals started to disappear and the chirps of birds slowly filled the cove. The sun set the mood for a frequently asked query, both from dragon and human—well, not so sure if humans would not kill Toothless on the spot.

"I know that but… he shot you down." Evergreen quickly replied, her tone was protective. Toothless did not answer her, and she paused for a moment. "Why didn't you kill him, Toothless?" She questioned, her curiosity couldn't take it anymore. She had to ask. She had to know. "Why, Toothless?"

"He spared me, Evergreen." Toothless shot back. This had always been a touchy topic for Toothless. "I don't know how you would kill someone who spared your life." He was a little ticked off now, barely containing his teeth from sprouting out. '_Doesn't this female understand that I need him?'_ Toothless thought. '_No... I should keep calm. Getting pissed would not progress anything.'_

"I get your point." Evergreen stated. "But, why bond with him? There could be so many other humans! Couldn't you have picked a stronger one?" She said as she looked at Hiccup, who was fast asleep.

"No." Toothless sternly replied back. He would not let this dragon degrade Hiccup. "Hiccup is different." Toothless said. "He's special. One of a kind."

"Hiccup would not kill dragons, Hiccup is not ruled by his people's customs, and most importantly, Hiccup knows how to think." Toothless said. He was on a roll. "Hiccup also has faith, something that most humans would not have. Hiccup offers help to his people, and how do they treat him?!"

Evergreen stayed silent. She could tell that Toothless had some feelings about his rider.

"They made him an outcast."

Evergreen looked at the dragon, her eyes widening. She knew she had hit a low spot, and wanted to make up. "Look, Too—"

"We're a team, _Evergreen_." Toothless interrupted, staring back into her cyan eyes with his ferocious green ones for a good measure of time. She could not tell if Toothless lost it, or he just really cared about his rider. "We're partners"

Evergreen lay there, face filled with shock and amazement. Toothless turned around immediately, and went to check up on Hiccup. The Night Fury looked at his rider with great compassion, and smiled. When he looked at Hiccup, he remembered the times when the young lad worked endlessly to fix his tail.

After a brief moment, Evergreen's mouth opened once more. "Toothless," She spoke softly, walking towards him carefully. "Yeah?" Toothless replied, and turned his head to face Evergreen. Evergreen looked at Toothless, but was hesitant to speak. "What?" Toothless asked.

Evergreen could not say it. No, not straight to his face after what had just happened. She diverted her eyes to the sky, and spoke in a low voice.

"I want a partner, Toothless."

"What was that?" Toothless replied.

"I said," Evergreen looked at him this time. Her eyes were dead serious. "I want a partner." She spoke louder this time.

Toothless paused for a moment. His face was puzzled. "You mean… _a-a-…m-m-mate_?" Toothless spoke back softly, his voice almost a whisper.

Evergreen barely heard what head said. "No no, silly!" Evergreen replied quickly, trying not to embarrass herself. She turned her head to the side, and smiled.

"I want a rider."

* * *

**A/N:** _Was it okay?_

_It was my first time writing something like this so please forgive me if I have any mistakes in this chapter. The thoughts were hard to come up with and every time I have a good idea, I end up changing it. A lot. I would scratch it directly and start fresh again. Ugh. The thought process was pretty hard for me :(_

_Anyways, please review! I would love to hear your thoughts on the story so far. =D_

_See you all in 5 days! (Or less...maybe more? I don't know.) _

_Ravenblack_


	6. Chapter 6: Beginnings

**A/N**: Sup guys!

_I've been pretty busy over the past few days but, I tried my best to get this out one day early since tomorrow I'm going to the beach to go jet skiing =D_

_Moving on, I would like to thank _SupernalGodzilla_ for constantly giving me feedback on this story. Thanks man! It really means a lot. _

_Anyways, something great is going to be announced in this chapter, so go read it now. _

**Chapter six: Beginnings **

The sun was beginning to set, giving a reddish hue to the mountains, forests, and rivers. The clearing was beautiful, the river flashing a scarlet hue while the convenient sounds of a human and dragon were heard.

"What is it bud?" Hiccup asked, as he turned around to pick up his satchel from the rock which he latched it on. He then turned around to look at the dragon, who was obviously trying to communicate with him.

The Night Fury had tried everything! Jumping up and down, pointing to the sky, and flapping his wings furiously. But nothing could get his dumbfounded rider to understand what he intended for him to know. Worst yet, Hiccup didn't always pay attention to him!

Toothless looked at his rider furiously, examining his large green eyes. '_Why doesn't Hiccup get it!_' He thought, as he slowly became frustrated at his lack of understanding. '_And_ _I thought he was supposed to be smart.' _He eyed his rider once more, and then shifted his eyes upwards to the clouds, looking somewhat ticked off.

Hiccup didn't get the gesture. He knew it meant that Toothless wanted to fly but, whenever he tried to saddle himself, the dragon would move back quickly.

The pair stared at each other wittingly, trying to understand each other's gestures, until a hopeful idea sprouted into the dragon's mind.

The Night Fury pointed to the large sleeping dragon by the river, and then started flapping his wings while looking up to the sky. He repeated this two more times, each time getting slightly more frustrated. "Toothless," Hiccup said, his voice, stern "Do you really want me to ride Evergreen?"

"…"

Toothless tried to contain his frustration but couldn't hold it anymore; he let out a load roar, blowing Hiccup off the ground. The young boy stumbled down, and dirtied himself once more.

"Aw, c'mon, bud" Hiccup said, slowly getting up from the mud. "Why'd you do that?"

Toothless merely turned his back to his rider, and walked to the newly woken Evergreen.

#### ####

"He doesn't get me" Toothless said, giving up on the idea of understanding his rider. "Maybe you should find a rider on your own?" He suggested, feeling disappointed.

"No, Toothless" Evergreen replied formally. "Maybe he just needs a woman's touch mhm?" She said, giving the Night Fury a playful smirk.

The ArrowJaw slowly approached the rider, who was leaning against a large tree, and writing on his journal. Her footsteps being as awfully silent as she made her way through the damp mud, and upon reaching him, lay down.

"What do you want?" He said, clearly not in a good mood as he didn't even care to raise his head from his journal.

Evergreen merely nudged on the boy, making soft purring noises as she did so. Looking at her large cyan eyes, Hiccup slowly gave in to the constant purring. "Oh, you really know how to cheer me up" He said, patting the ArrowJaw's curved head.

"Now," He said, in a much softer tone. "What is it that you want, Evergreen?"

Evergreen slowly made flapping motions with her large crescent shaped wings, beams of sunlight bouncing off them. "I'm guessing that you want to fly" Hiccup said, taking notes in his journal. The dragon then shook her head to Toothless, who was laid back in the soft, cool mud.

"I don't get it" Hiccup said, confused at the gesture. '_What did she want with Toothless?_' He thought. Evergreen gave Toothless a glare that meant to say "Get over here", and the black dragon did, slowly and making a face while he did so.

When Toothless reached the spot where they were resting, Evergreen put a claw on his saddle and got Hiccup wondering for a moment or two. "Aha!" He said, proclaiming his conclusion. "You want a rider!"

Toothless and Evergreen nodded in unison, Toothless let out a sigh filled with happiness. "At least we got that sorted out." He said to Evergreen, who was bouncing at the thought of having someone riding on her. Hiccup was happy too, knowing that Evergreen was willing to bond with a human.

"I guess we're off to a good start, bud." He said, as he sighed with joy.

"Now, our only problem is," He said, his face going back to its thoughtful stage. "How do we find someone willing to ride a dragon?" Scratching his head, Hiccup looked back up to the sky, hoping to find an answer as Evergreen and Toothless looked at him with utmost curiosity.

"Maybe…just maybe" He mumbled as an idea started to form in his head. "Maybe…maybe we could convince the tribe's people to bond with you, Evergreen." He said, a look of hope in his green eyes as he flashed his signature, crooked grin at the large ArrowJaw.

"Are you okay with that?" Hiccup said.

Evergreen swallowed hard, as a look of fear in her eyes gave off the impression that she didn't want to bond with any of the tribe's people. Toothless saw this and immediately took action. "_It's alright_." He said in a soft and comforting tone. "_They won't hurt you; Hiccup has his ways with words after all_." (Or so he thought)Evergreen relaxed at the thought of Toothless being at her side to protect her, like how he did from the tribe.

She nodded at the human, sprouting the as much confidence as she could.

"Great." Hiccup said quickly, surprising the two dragons. Hiccup was not one to decide on things so quickly since he would usually think about the possible dangers that they might encounter. The two dragons looked at him, worried and confused, their eyes following his.

"Oh don't worry." He said confidently. "I've been thinking about this for some time now."

Evergreen sighed in relief, assuring herself that she wouldn't have to run snout first into a village, full of dragon slaying Vikings. Toothless already knew this though, and flashed Hiccup his signature smile. Hiccup returned the gesture, fully knowing that they trusted each other.

He trusted Toothless, and Toothless trusted him…or so he thought.

#### ####

"These…these are…" Astrid mumbled, her voice becoming shaky. "Night Fury scales!" She exclaimed looking over her shoulder to see more of them by the small pond. She ran over to the edge and carefully picked up 4 more of the black scales, which were glimmering in the scarlet light, and carefully examined each one.

She finally had the proof to show the village the truth about Hiccup! _'I finally have them! I finally have proof!_' She thought, smiling as she did so, and jumping for joy at the bare thought of it. She could finally show them!

She then thought about the glory she would receive, the people praising her once again. But as her thoughts trailed on, she reached a point where they had met a dead end.

'_It's useless..._' She thought as her shoulders slumped down, something she wouldn't normally do in public. '_I've been exiled for two months_.' She reminded herself, her eyes trailing back to the rocky surface that led to the outer portion of the cove, as she let out a defeated sigh.

'_I can't wait two months for this kind of discovery!_' She thought, becoming angry as she stomped her foot, leading to a rather dirty mess up. "Ugh!" She cried out, pulling her hair furiously, and walking towards the dryer part of the cove, which was shaded under a large tree.

"Damn you, Hiccup" She cursed under her breath, blowing up her bangs so that they would not fall on her eyes. "Why do you have to always make everything so hard."

#### #####

**A/N**_: Okay? Sucked? Good? Tell me what you think._

_Hey guys, thanks for reading this chapter. Also, thanks to all those who have been constantly reviewing and following this story. _

_Big shout out to all those who have favorite this story and added it to their story alerts. Thanks! =D_

_Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please do not forget to leave a review. It would mean a lot to me if you did. Please and thank you guys. =D_

_Ravenblack_


	7. Chapter 7: Doubt

**A/N: **

_Hey everyone! I am deeply sorry for the late upload. =(_

_Let me explain. You see, I have been busy with a lot of things at the current moment. For one, I have to rehearse with my very own band since we have a gig next Saturday. _

_Also, I have to make some promotional videos for a hotel, and since I was invited to the Vertical Horizons concert, I skipped one night of writing._

_I HAD TO GO OKAY?_

_Anyways, please do enjoy this chapter, even though it is pretty late._

**Chapter seven: Doubt**

Astrid quietly took a seat in the warm grass as she thought about the possible solutions to the problem presented.

Two days had passed ever since she discovered the Night Fury scales by the bank of the small pond. She was tired, frustrated and desperately needed to come up with a plan to convince the tribe that Hiccup was a phony; for the young blonde did not mean to drive the boy away.

Astrid sat there, her thoughts slowly forming tentative conclusions to help her get out of what seems to be, not only physical but, mental exile as well.

'_If I run back to the village_,' she thought, putting a hand through her long blonde hair. '_I'll only be shunned_'

Astrid's shoulders slumped back once more, something that she took into habit when she was alone. '_Two months…_' She thought, as she covered her face with the palm of her hands. '_That's a pretty long time' _

Astrid fixed her gaze upon the sparkling array of stars that filled the sky. She crept closer to a large rock, and leaned on it, putting all her body weight on the cold, barren surface of the boulder. She got ready for bed, taking her blanket from her bag when an idea came into her mind.

'_Two months is pretty long'_ She thought, her faced riddled with a cunning look, as she cuddled her large brown blanket. '_No one is allowed to check on the cove, and I'm not allowed to make contact with anyone.'_ She thought, now smiling brightly, as she had finally came up with a plan.

She was going to bring back Hiccup.

Though it seemed like a long shot, she still tried to think about the possibility on how she was actually going to get the job done. First, how was she going to find transportation? Her first pick would be a ship but, how would she be able to acquire one? And there was still the lingering problem of manning the ship.

She was becoming frustrated just by thinking about manning a ship on her own, and pushed the thought aside.

Next, how was she going to find Hiccup? With only about two months of time, the whole journey seemed close to impossible.

Astrid sunk back into the depths of thought, and slowly made more possible solutions. _'Okay, step one: Find a ship'_ She thought, making mental notes in her head. '_Step two: Hire a team to man the ship' _She slowly began to doubt that this plan would actually work but, it was her best shot.

Last but not least, '_Step three: locate that son of a half troll, mother cracking ogre, scrawny excuse for a man, Hiccup.' _She thought, completing her mental checklist, as she started to rub the sleepiness out of her weary eyes.

"Hiccup," She said confidently, fixing her gaze to the mystical moon that shone directly above her. "Be prepared, I'm bringing you back." With that, she let the cold fingers of the night slowly embrace her into a momentarily peaceful slumber.

#### ####

Astrid woke up to the warm rays of the ever blistering sun.

Having slept well on the previous night, she felt relaxed and rested as she slowly laid down her blanket on the evergreen grass. "Great day." She said, looking up to the hot sun. The temperature in Berk wasn't always this hot; it was usually a bit cooler.

But there was something about this day that was constantly bugging Astrid.

She left the thought alone and proceeded to make plan for what she dubbed as "The Great Escape". Though it didn't seem very great, to be escaping from exile, she was determined to find Hiccup and return him back to the village, where she could prove her statement.

With the goal set in her mind, and her determination increasing, she set off. Astrid climbed the stony faced rock structure that led to the main entrance of the cove, barely hanging on as she had almost slipped off the edge.

After correcting herself from countless mistakes, which almost led to her demise, she finally found the proper footing needed to climb the colossal wall of barren rock.

After a good number of minutes, she made it to the top of the wall. Feeling accomplished, she turned her back away from the cove. She made a pose, one which was highly admired by the Viking tribe, and only to be used in formal situations.

But nobody was watching, and Astrid allowed herself the pleasure of defying the tribe customs.' _Just a little bit though'_ she thought.

She then proceeded to swat away vines and braches that dangled from various trees as she made her way out of the tiny entrance. The cove was well concealed, and she had to give Hiccup credit for choosing that particular spot.

Then, she remembered about Hiccup.

The scrawny boy had to climb that wall a vast amount of times, considering the fact that he constantly went to visit his dragon. Astrid's face went red with rage. How could that no-good excuse for a Viking climb that wall every single day?

"Ugh!" She bellowed. '_How can I be beaten at such a thing?_' She thought, panicking that Hiccup could actually climb better than her.

But the young lassie hadn't given up that she was the best at everything in their generation, and looked to possible reasons, and within a moment's time, she found her answer.

"Who am I kidding? He rides a dragon!" She said, somewhat feeling disgusted by the idea, but slowly rethinking it over and over. '_What good could they bring to us?_' She thought, pondering what it would be like to be on a dragon's back, soaring high in the sky.

'_No Astrid!_' She reprimanded herself. '_Dragons are cruel and heartless monsters! We are to kill them'_ She thought, as she readjusted her point of view towards the "beasts".

"But what if…" She mumbled, thinking over the possibilities that they could have while riding the dragons. '_Get a grip, Astrid'_ she thought to herself, reminding herself that the safety of the tribe was more important than some petty ride above the clouds.

"Right," She said, noticing that she had not taken a step from the brush covered entrance of the large cove. "Time to move." She said, and ran off into the woods.

#### ####

The sun seemed to be in a good mood on this fine day on Berk, and so was the young Viking, who was walking peacefully towards the mead hall.

"Snotlout!" Tuffnut called out, waving his hand as he opened the large wooden door. "Want to go visit Astrid?" He asked, as he neared the table which his best bud was sitting on, arms crossed.

"What's got you so pumped up?" Snotlout shot back, feeling a little ticked off at Tuffnut's spectacularly cheerful mood. There was definitely something going on. Snotlout didn't know much about events, and when he did, it was usually too late. "Oh, nothing" Tuff replied back sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Come on, Tuff!" Snotlout shouted angrily, flashing his "best bud" his best intimidating face. It was not working, as Tuffnut merely smiled at him, full of joy.

"Today's Hiccup's birthday remember?" He said, flashing Snotlout a mischievous smile.

"So?" Snotlout answered back, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't you remember all those boring parties?" Tuffnut said, laughing in between words. "Yeah, yeah I do." Snotlout replied, as he remembered all those scientific crap that Hiccup tried to teach them, a smile slowly making its way to his face. "I almost died of boredom!"

"Well, Guess what? He's gone!" Tuffnut said, as he grinned wildly. Snotlout smiled back at him, and they both had quite a good laugh. But deep down inside, they knew that they missed him. They really missed bullying him but, none the less, they still missed the tortured soul, and how he would mess up an entire raid.

"Well, what do you say?" Tuffnut said, his face suddenly turning serious, as if he had remembered something…something that had hit him hard. "It's a free day, we got nothing to do."

"Well, I guess you are right." Snotlout replied, jumping off the table he sat on. "Beats sitting on a table and listening to old men talk about their "cool" adventures all day."

Tuffnut laughed at the statement, as he was comfortable around the next chief of the tribe. They silently walked past the older Vikings and pushed the door open, letting a unexpected warm breeze blow past their faces.

#### ####

A/N:

_Before anything, I would like to point out that I chose to make Hiccup good at certain things, and certain things only. Climbing walls for example, oh and forging weapons too! _

_Anyways, his fellow classmates sort of miss him, even though he rode a dragon and left them in Berk. _

_Please Review, and leave suggestions for anything you might want to see in the next chapter! Once again, I'm sorry for the rather late upload. I'm sort of busy with a lot of things at the moment._

_Thanks for all the support and please, keep on reading! =D_

_P.S: I hope to make it up to you all in the next chapter, so please look forward to it!_

_Ravenblack_


	8. Chapter 8: Surprise

**A/N: **Hey guys!

So I'm posting this a day early because I've going to chill in a resort with some friends tomorrow.

This one took me a bit more thought than my usual chapters but I do hope that it worked out all right. Oh and, this one is my longest one to date… I think.

Anyways, enjoy! =D

**Chapter eight: Surprise**

The blazing heat seeped through his barely shut eyelids, as Hiccup managed to wake himself from a good night's rest. The young boy estimated that he had slept for over 14 hours, considering the fact that the sun was pretty high in the sky.

He pushed himself up, and scanned his surroundings, blinking away his grogginess.

What he saw was pretty normal. Toothless, who was sleeping peacefully, was lying near a large tree while Evergreen was already up and tending to her eggs, digging them deeper into the damp mud with her razor sharp claws.

'_Today is the day'_ She thought nervously, as she finished laid another layer of thick mud over her precious eggs. '_Better off going over the plan once more'_ She thought, a bead of sweat slowly forming upon her light features.

The plan was simple, as Hiccup had devised it so that there would not be any "misunderstandings" along the course of action.

They would leave the campsite, and following a trail, which Hiccup had plotted out a few hours ago, until they reached the marking point where they would break off into two separate groups. Toothless and Evergreen make up _Group A_, and would conceal themselves in the thick underbrush near the village while Hiccup, who consequently dubbed himself as _Group B_, would go inside the village to find some volunteers.

'_Great,_' Evergreen thought, as she slowly waited for Hiccup to speak, readying herself as she waited. '_All set_'

Hiccup looked over his shoulder, hoping to see something worth his interest in the river behind him but, was disappointed to find nothing aside from the soft splashes along its bank. He then turned back to the dragons, and said "Get ready; we will leave in an hour."

He turned around, and walked towards the "satchel rock", as he dubbed it, and picked up his brown satchel. He fumbled through the contents to be relieved that he still had the blueprints for the crossbow, seeing that the large roll of papyrus could be of some use when he was in the town.

Hiccup then looked over his shoulder once more, this time, took interest in seeing Evergreen pace around nervously. "It's going to be alright." He said, flashing his crooked smile and turning to walk over to the large dragon, assuring her that it actually _would _be alright.

Evergreen's shoulders slumped as she relaxed, clearing her troubled mind of the nervousness that was put upon her. Hiccup gave her a careful pat on the snout, which seemed to calm the ArrowJaw, and walked over to where Toothless, who was fast asleep, was resting.

"Buddy," He said gently, as he approached the large sleeping figure. "We leave in an hour." He spoke softly, careful not to wake up the large creature with a start.

A few moments past by until Toothless peered out with one open eyelid, and stared at the young boy, who was looking over him, groggily. The dark dragon then gave him a quick nod, assuring his rider that he would be up by then, and went back into his peaceful slumber.

A hint of a smile popped out of Hiccup's face, slowly making its way into a large, satisfied grin. He let it stay there for a moment or two, when suddenly; a vision of his past life was replayed in his mind.

Hiccup was not much of a leader, nor was he a fighter. He was constantly bullied, beaten and looked down upon as the worst Viking to date. Snotlout and the others would tease him occasionally— wait, change that thought— all the time, actually, and he would usually need his father to save him. Each and every time.

He was shunned, ignored, and to the most, insulted by his fellow trainees. He was never good at dragon training until he found out about Toothless and soon, time after time, he began to learn more about the dragons. He learned about their habits, their soft spots, and most importantly, he learned about their intellect.

Dragons were capable of compassion; they were not mindless beasts but, they were loving, gentle creatures.

His heart wanted to show the Berkians, his fellow tribesmen, the truth about the dragons but, his mind said otherwise. He knew it was going to be dangerous, for one thing was certain: Berk was not friendly to any dragon, more so, a Night Fury.

So he decided to leave.

But the gods would not let him go quietly, as Astrid, who is—WAS—the girl of his dreams, just had to find out about his little plan. He was close to death when Fishlegs stepped in, saving him from his demise, and allowing him to leave safely.

He had to thank him for that, for Fishlegs didn't usually stand up for people. Maybe he had a friend back at Berk…but, as much as he wanted to visit Fishlegs, he could not come to the decision of going back to Berk just yet.

Don't get him wrong though, Hiccup loved his style of life. The thrill of being outside in the wilderness was overwhelming! He was to hunt on his own, fish on his own, and practically make everything on his own. There was practically nothing to tie him down, and he loved it.

He loved every single bit, and he wouldn't trade it for anything else…well, maybe for something important. But it has got to be really, REALLY important.

…

Hiccup's thoughts and visions were interrupted by Toothless, who was now looking at him, tremendously pinged. The Night Fury's large green eyes, scanned Hiccup, and gave him a faint growl, which Hiccup now seemed to recognize as an "Are you okay?" gesture.

"Yeah, buddy." Hiccup said to his dragon, as he returned Toothless' curious stare with a happy, relaxed grin. "I'm fine."

"Okay, I'm going to go get some water." He said, turning his back from the Night Fury and heading towards the running water. Toothless looked at him, watching him take careful steps in order to avoid getting more mud in his boots. Toothless was afraid something would happen, Hiccup being as clumsy as he is.

Hiccup made his way to the edge of the tremendous current. He bent down to collect some water, _which they could use in an emergency_, when he realized that he didn't have his water container with him. He stared into the water for a few moments before deciding to move.

He let out a tiring sigh, as he got up from his kneeling position. "That is just great." He rasped, in his well-known sarcastic tone. He shifted his balance uneasily, trying to get up quickly as he was slightly ticked off by his unawareness.

He was just about up when suddenly, his right foot, _his weaker foot_, slipped off the wet, muddy earth causing the young boy to fall backwards, towards the roaring river.

Things were just about to get much, much worse.

#### ####

Astrid peacefully walked around the forest, in search of something that may be useful for her expedition. She had come across many things from wooden planks to iron bolts are bars, though; she never expected the forest to hold such human made items.

Astrid thought that this place was supposed to be free from human settlement but, the evidences and proofs she found pointed that there were indeed people living in this forest. She just needed a lead on where to look.

The young lass continued her paced trot around the lush scenery, slipping in and out of tight spots and breaking off branches and vines if she needed to.

After a few good hours, she stumbled upon what seemed to be a trap of some sort.

Long, brown ropes covered the earth along with large, heavy rocks to hold them down. And then, there was signs of a knife cut on most of the ropes, signaling that someone must have cut down the trap in order to save whatever was trapped in it.

She looked around the small area, eying anything that might be of some interest to her.

Then, the young lass found the material that confirmed her worst doubts; a strand of light brown hair was stuck on a nearby boulder, hanging to the point where it almost got blown by the wind. And she was certain she knew who's hair it was.

'Hiccup' she thought, a little bit aggravated, biting her lower lip. '_Why would you, of all people, be making a trap?' _Her curiosity got the better of her, as she tried to pick up the ropes, along with the large rocks…but to her surprise, she couldn't.

They were too heavy for her, and it was way more than she was used to.

She needed help, for they could be a very important asset in her ship, or even better, in convincing the tribe that he was a cheapskate.

Due to Astrid's inherited Viking stubbornness, she tried to lift the items once more but alas, her efforts were in vain. _'I really hate how Hiccup does these things.'_ She thought, turning away from the items, towards the deeper parts of the forest. _'I really, really do.' _She walked away from the items, giving up her motive to carry them back to her cove, when suddenly; a voice filled her ears from behind.

"Need help?"

#### ####

**A/N:** _Sooooo? How did you guys find the chapter?_

_I am assuming that you can guess who stumbled upon Astrid in the forest, and I am also assuming that you know where this is going…seeing that it is very, very obvious. _

_Anyways, hope you all enjoyed this chapter._

_And please do not forget to REVIEW! It really brings a smile to my face when I see people take some time to give this fanfic a little love. So if you do have time, please do review! =D_

_Thanks for reading, and I will see you all in about 5 days. _

_Ravenblack_


	9. Chapter 9: Headlong

**A/N**: _Hey everyone!_

_Thanks for stopping by the story once more, or if you're new, thanks for checking it out! _

_Anyways, I would like to point out a few things. Just so that things will not get too mind boggling for you to understand. From now on, __**"-" **__will now indicate that there is a flashback about to take place._

_That is all. Now, go enjoy what I've prepared for you! =D_

**Chapter Nine: Headlong**

The scarlet ball of light was slowly setting, as it projected warm, orange rays upon the village where Hiccup used to live, lining the building with a dim light. The village, that Astrid used to live in–_and will soon live in again _– was now oddly silent, for a day that was supposed to be, a very busy day.

The merchants and stall handlers would usually be packing up by now, and the townsfolk should be picking up their last minute supplies.

But the streets of the village remained empty, frozen in time, as no living soul treaded, nor conversed through its stony roads. The eerie sounds of doors opening softly, and floors creaking filled the ghostly settlement. The stone tablets that lined the out rims of the village were covered in large, green leaves that gave the graveyard a mysterious ambience. Neither the high pitched voices of small children nor the husky voices of large men filled the area.

It was a ghost town.

Until the silent footsteps of a large, stout boy suddenly broke the ghastly atmosphere. His shadow, gliding along the cobblestone walls, reached a point where it halted to stop, slowing drastically as it did. The lone person finally reached what was known to the villagers as the town square.

The once lively and energetic merchants had all but vanished, leaving behind empty stalls, carts and baskets. Dust and garbage littered the cobblestone pathways, and the fountain in the middle had stopped sprouting out water. Only little droplets had come out of the four faucets that were connected by a metal rod, and the small hole in the middle, which used to contain water, was dried out.

Fishlegs wandered around the square aimlessly, his silent footsteps becoming louder by the step. The village of Berk was populated just hours ago, to the point where the square had been fully packed and loaded with people scrawling around the streets.

"Where is everyone…?" He mumbled, looking up to the sky and admiring it wondrous reddish hue. The ball of light, which was also known as the sun, had set lower in the sky, slowly giving way to the rising moon.

Fishlegs couldn't help but feel depressed. He was alone, and even though he tried to search for everyone, nobody came nor did he find anyone. It was like he was living a bad dream, and speaking of bad dreams; he made a mental note never to take such a foolish nap ever again.

'_Stupid, stupid nap…I should have never slept_.' He thought, as his mind was still blurry and clouded with doubts. He held his head low, and gazed at the ground, as he went back into his cold, depressed state. '_I wonder…did they go on to find the nest?_'

Fishlegs stood there, pondering about the decision his tribe could have made.

'_Did they actually set sail to find the dragons' nest?_' He thought, and hacked his brain for statistics of whether or not the tribe would survive such a dangerous gamble. '_They couldn't have…they would die the second they got there! There are just too much dragons for them to handle._'

Fishlegs took one more glance upon the setting sun, as its last rays of warmth slowly faded, and let the grim feeling of dread seep into his fragile mind.

#### ####

The avalanche of rocks came down faster than she had expected, as for the plain and simple fact that she did not cause that much chaos. The young blonde had been followed, and was aware of her stalkers but decided to approve of it.

They were not supposed to be visiting her, nor was she allowed to make contact with them. But like all the other stubborn Vikings, she did. In fact, she was unsure what to think when she first saw the pair by the trap.

"-"

"Need help?" She recalled Snotlout saying, as Tuffnut glided by them nosily, making sure that she knew that he was present. Astrid turned her back to face Snotlout, ignoring the ever so annoying Tuffnut, who was fiddling with the trap set positioned behind her.

"Of course she needs help, you dumb butt!" Tuffnut mocked Snotlout playfully, as he came back into view. He quickly repositioned himself beside Snotlout, and turned to face him, making an odd face as he did so.

"You are going to help or what?"

Astrid slowly realized the friendship these two shared, for it was not one that they shared with any other. 'They really did make fun of themselves, huh?' She thought, a small hint of a smile forming wiggling its way across her face.

It was then that she thought about it. '_Why are they talking to me?'_

'_I mean, aren't they banned from talking to me?_' She thought, as a bead of sweat started to form around her brow out of concern for her friends. '_If the village finds out, they will be goners!_' She didn't want to break the rules, nor did she want her friends in trouble. She didn't want anyone in trouble because of her…and then, out of the blue, Hiccup popped into her mind, and the lass was overwhelmed by feelings of guilt and doubt.

She had to divert her attention. She couldn't stand to have these kinds of thoughts.

"Why the hell did you guys come here?" She said angrily, as it was her only escape, and turning away from them to _try_ to pick up the concussion of large stones and ropes.

"Gods, Astrid" Tuffnut said, slightly ticked off, but in a mood where he could play with her. "We just came to see how you were doing."

"You're not allowed." Astrid said coldly, turning back to face them, as she stood upright. "Leave." She said, and turned away from them once more, only to start walking to the cove.

"Nu-uh." Snotlout said cheekily. "What's with the stupid pile of robes and rocks, huh?" He said, giving her his best puzzled look. Snotlout definitely knew that something was up…and he wanted to be part of what ever devious, mischievous plan Astrid had made up.

Like the _We're-so-going-to-bust-Hiccup_ plan for example.

Astrid stared back at him, her light blue eyes piercing into him. She continued this as she thought about the decision she was about to make. 'They could help me build the boat…' She thought, estimating whether or not they would get detected before they could finish building it. 'No…they can't…they…' Her train of thought was interrupted by Snotlout obnoxious voice, asking her why she was staring at him.

Astrid looked down to the ground, and spoke. "Follow me…"

"-"

"Right," She said, putting on a stone face, turning around to see the two boys scratching their heads, as if they hit something hard. "I do you need your help."

"And why didn't you tell us that on the way here?" Tuffnut asked, rolling his eyes and giving her a displeasing look. "I have to show you, or you will never understand." She fired back, and turned around once more to head towards what seemed to be a large rock by the edge of a small lagoon.

"Nice place." Snotlout said, looking around to search his surroundings.

There was a large tree by on corner of the cove, old and wilting. A small lagoon was positioned near the middle of the cove, only slightly to the north, and some signs of human settlement filled the area too. The grass that filled the land around the cove was soft, warm and looked like that it was tended to by human hands.

He never knew that Astrid liked plants, and smirked when the thought of Astrid picking flowers in a garden came into his mind.

"Thanks."

"Now," She said, picking up a medium sized, leather, brown satchel that looked awfully heavy. "Check this out." She dropped the Night Fury scales near their feet, and their reaction was predictable.

Snotlout and Tuffnut had both been blown out of proportion. "Astrid…" Tuffnut said shakily, as he bent down to pick up one of the scales. He brought it closer to his face, and examined it with deep curiosity. Snotlout did the same.

"Where did you get these?" Snotlout asked rudely, making sure that he hadn't showed that he was shocked about the whole scale thing.

"Someone lived here" She spoke calmly, addressing the issue with great care. "Way before I did." She said, still wearing his stone cold face. "So?" Snotlout shot back, trying to cover up.

"Can you guess?"

"Hiccup." Snotlout and Tuffnut said in unison, their faces turning stone cold, more like how Astrid's did. "And what do you plan on doing, Astrid?" Tuffnut said, eagerly showing that he was the smarter one among the two.

"I'm going to find him."

Tuffnut and Snotlout looked at each other seriously, and stared into each other's eyes for a moment or two. Astrid stood there, and flat out waited for their reaction to her statement. After what seemed to be forever, they looked back at Astrid, their faces, full of determination and confidence in the dim, orange light that shrouded the cove.

"We want in."

#### ####

**A/N**: _Alright guys!_

_Did you all like the chapter? I do hope I illustrated more of the scenes in this chapter than in the first few chapters. =D_

_Anyways, please review! I really do appreciate it if you do, and it will really boost the popularity of this story. Oh, and don't forget to recommend this story to your friends! (If you liked it)_

_Ravenblack_


	10. Chapter 10: Faith

**A/N**: _Hey guys!_

_I'm terribly sorry for the late upload. _

_I've been really busy with my schedule lately and I hardly have any time to write this chapter. And aside from the fact that I had it done a few days back, I still didn't feel that it was ready to publication yet. _

_Anyways, please do enjoy the chapter! =D_

_P.S I will be changing the upload date from 5 days to about one week. The chapter's content will also lengthen to twice the normal size. And I will be taking a one week break every 10 chapters being uploaded. _

**Chapter 10: Faith**

Beads of sweat silently dripped from the determined faces of the young Vikings, well, all except one.

The cove was filled with loud noises of brutal hammering, pounding each nail into the hard, blank faces of wood. Human voices could be heard, commanding one another to pass a tool, or a piece of the large puzzle, which was going to be a large, sturdy boat.

But amongst the loud, husky voices of immature Vikings, was a calm and much softer tone that broke into the clump of harsh ones. It was a tone that was expecting rejection, and most commonly used by no other than…

"Uhm, Tuff…" Fishlegs spoke to Tuffnut, who was bent over.

"What is it now, Fishlegs?" Tuffnut rasped back, not even turning to face him, disgusted and annoyed as he hammered another nail to the side of a wooden plank, causing the ground to stir.

A few more whacks and Fishlegs finally spoke again, this time with a blank tone. "You're doing it wrong." He turned around to face the other portion of the cove, by which Astrid and Snotlout were working on the mast of the ship.

Insecurity washed over Tuffnut's face, forcing him to examine the wooden plank with extreme caution, his eyes widening. "I don't see anything wrong!" He yelled back, turning back to look at a back-faced Fishlegs. His face grew red with anger when he discovered that Fishlegs was in fact, not listening to him.

Tuffnut could have run up to him, a punched him but… he knew he had much more important things to do than to deal with an ignorant baboon so, the boy let the thought drop, slumping and returning into his previous working state. "Whatever…" He said, bending down to continue his hammering.

"Look," Fishlegs said calmly, reappearing out of nowhere, like magic to Tuffnut's side. Tuffnut gave him a disgusted look, a turned around to continue hammering the wood. Fishlegs put a hand on his shoulder, turning Tuffnut over to look at him.

"You missed the hole that I placed" Fishlegs said, pointing to the small hole in the middle of the plank. "It would make your life so much easier."

"Oh," Tuffnut replied back, relaxing his enraged mood, and slowly coming to realize his mistake. "Thanks, Fish."

"No problem." Fishlegs flashed him a well polished smile, and took off in the other direction towards where Astrid and Snotlout had been working.

Fishlegs took careful steps, as large pieces of wood and fabric dotted the cove's land. The disorganized method of building resulted in him taking longer than what was expected to reach Astrid.

"Astrid," Fishlegs said, his stony face peering into her. "Would you mind cleaning this up?" He said with a slightly annoyed tone.

"Ugh," Astrid sighed, turning around to face her long time friend, who she had newly recruited to be the head of the expedition. "Remind me why you came to help again, Fish?"

"First of all, you need me." Fishlegs stated, his face remaining blank. "Second of all, I just accepted your offer to build this ship." He said, slowly raising his voice but not to the point of anger, of course.

"And third, I want to find Hiccup."

"_Right,_" Astrid said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Except you need to find him for a whole different purpose."

"Stay out of my personal reasons, please." Fishlegs had grown a backbone over the last few weeks but, it was one that only revealed itself when they were talking about touchy matters…like Hiccup for example.

'_He was probably inspired by the way Hiccup acted' _Astrid thought, returning to her work.

Snotlout, who had been silent throughout the whole conversation, finally turned around and spoke up. "Stop messing with Astrid, you moron." He said, standing up from where he was working on the mast.

Fishlegs merely looked at him, not feeling the need to do anything rash, and walked away.

"You should not have done that." Astrid said to him, turning back to face the once helplessly annoying Viking.

"But he was being a jerk." Snotlout countered back, raising his eyebrow at Astrid, who wasn't in her usual way of acting.

"No." Astrid said sternly, moving closer to Snotlout. "I was the jerk." She said, as their faces were almost touching. "He was just trying to help." She said, noticing that Fishlegs had took a quick glance and coincidently, turned away.

"Now, come on." She said to her ever so loyal partner. "Let's finish the mast."

#### ####

"Astrid!" Fishlegs called out to her, waving his hand in the air. "We'll be back tomorrow!" He said, grinning from ear to ear. He then turned around, and ran towards the dense mass of trees.

"Guess that's all for today, huh?" She said to herself, turning away to look at the sun, which was now setting, giving the cove and the surrounding areas, a luminous, orange glow.

Astrid had purposely climbed up her cove just to say goodbye to everyone… for all their efforts in helping out with her little project.

And yet, surprisingly, Fishlegs was the last to leave, promising her that he would be back tomorrow to help. Even though she had snubbed him earlier, he still had the heart to keep a smiling face.

'_What a guy…_' She thought, as a tiny small vision popped into her head.

She stood there, deep in thought, staring at the sky and all its wonders as the sounds of crickets and bugs started to fill her ears. The night was coming back, and she had to get ready, snapping herself out of the trance she just put herself into.

"What if…just what if." She murmured, heading in the direction of the opening to the cove, and not quite paying attention to her surroundings, which had become awfully dark.

Her once careful attitude when approaching the wall had disappeared, all because of the thoughts that were flowing in her head. "What if…" She said softly, her voice weakening by the word, causing her visions to stir once more.

As she approached the wall, she slowly lowered herself down, still not paying much attention to anything. Step by step, she got lower, until that one rock where she managed to slip upon; causing an avalanche of pebbles that accompanied her fall.

The sound of the breaking of rocks was also accompanied by an unpleasant crack, one which Astrid had never heard of in her entire life…and it did not seem good.

"Ugh…" She moaned, silently flexing her right arm, which she had used as a landing pad. The soft grass may have prevented some major faults with the bone but, it did not prevent sprains or bruises. And Astrid was pretty badly hurt, as she had assumed so.

"Damn it, Astrid." She scolded herself, grimacing at the pain that crawled up her shoulder. It caused her pain.

It was pain that was just responding to her carelessness.

The bitter air blew over her, sending frightful chills down her spine, and causing the trees to whisper eerie sounds of dread.

She needed to get to a fire or something warm at least…but the pain was just too much for young Astrid to handle.

The cold, night air blew over her once more, making Astrid shiver. The cove offered her no protection from the winds, although it was supposed to be. '_Something is definitely up_' she thought, her eyes straining to adjust to the dim light.

'_There was never any wind here._'

She looked around, carefully scanning the cove once more, and unsurprisingly, found nothing that tickled her interest. And more importantly, the cove was littered with small wooden planks and shards, which posed a threat to her walking blindly once more.

'_I really should have listened to Fishlegs' _

She peered through the darkness, ignoring the pain bestowed upon her, and trying to pinpoint the exact locations of the materials that lined the ground.

She saw a large piece of cloth by the lake, which was being dancing with the mysterious wind. The small planks of wood, which Tuff was working on, was by her camp site. The equipment, particularly the hammers and nails, were by the large tree in the corner.

And in the middle was a sea of endless, wooden debris that most probably came from Snotlout's careless sawing of wood.

"Great, just great." She said sarcastically, rolling her eyes in the fashion that Hiccup would use to roll them. She turned over, back walled against the soft grass, and gazed upon the shining moon.

'_At least I've got something to look at_' she thought, closing her eyes as if every second dealt her pain. '_Guess I'm waiting it out till…'_

And before she could finish the thought, the young Viking fell into the grasps of unconsciousness.

#### ####

**A/N**:

_Remember guys, please do review! It brings me great joy to see that you take at least one minute out of your day to give this story a little appreciation. __Criticism is welcome too, though._

_See you all in two weeks! (or less if I am not packed with this hectic schedule. -_-)_

_Ravenblack_


	11. Chapter 11: A New Dawn

**A/N:** _Sup y'all?_

_Okay, so I am uploading this chapter early, if you don't mind. I'm going on a road trip tomorrow; thus I will not be able to update for four days, and I am really sorry if I won't be able to upload on time. _

_Anyways, I've made this chapter extra long and extra special so please do enjoy this one. Oh, and please don't forget to review. It would be the world to me if you take some time out of your day to do so._

_Thanks, and enjoy!_

_Ravenblack_

**Chapter 11: A New Dawn**

Warm red rays of light were slowly fading from the scenery, giving travelers and hunters a sign that it was time to head home.

Hiccup's small body was covered in wed, dark mud as he laid himself flat in the middle of the cove. His face was flushed, and dotted with tiny specs of warm mud that he later realized. _'I really have to get these off_' He thought to himself, annoyed and a bit frustrated. He raised his hand and lazily tried to sweep his face clean of mud, unaware that his palm had been dipped in muck.

"That is disgusting." He said, putting his hand down as the warm liquid spread across his face, leaving tiny streams going down his cheek. Toothless, who was standing close by, let out what seemed to be a laugh.

"Oh, shut up." He said in a playful tone, and shaking his head hysterically, as if trying to get a monster off his face, when it was, in fact, just muck. Finally, after a good five to six strokes, he stopped feeling exhausted from the shaking.

"I knew that wasn't going to work."

Evergreen, who had been resting near the cove's iconic tree, gave Hiccup a long, confused stare; it was a look that said: _'Why did you try it then?'_

"I had to try." Hiccup said, turning hid head to face Evergreen, then immediately turning it back to gaze on the stars, that newly appeared in the twilight sky, brightening it. "Didn't have much to lose, did I?" He said softly, not daring to turn his head to look back at Evergreen but, hinted a small smile.

_This was not the same reason with Evergreen's overwhelming desire to bond. The ArrowJaw had eggs to take care of! And she was really having problems with all these humans trying to bully her out of the cove. _

_She knew that Hiccup would not stay forever…but, just but, she might be able to get some help from the human she was going to bond with. _

_Her eggs. It drove her to bond with a human. This bond was for their sake. _

Hiccup lay there, still gazing upon the stars as he thought about what he said to Evergreen. _Had he really have nothing to lose?_

And the answer, which was lying at the back of his head, rushed straight forward.

He never really did have much to lose when he freed Toothless. And now that he thought about it, Toothless, who lost the ability to fly, did not have much to lose either. '_It's some sort of mutual bond I guess…_'

'_We really did have nothing to lose._'

Hiccup blinked rapidly, trying to get wash away the drowsiness that fell upon him. He closed his tired eyes, completely unaware that Evergreen was still staring at him, with intense curiosity to say the least.

She studied him profoundly, eyes shining with the light of a thousand moons, but then got easily distracted. Turning away from the young boy, she walked towards her resting spot. The one resting spot that she transferred her eggs to…well, you know, for safe keeping.

Her large feet sporting "squish" noises as she trotted on the mud-stained earth. The moon had fully risen now, giving off dim light while owls and other nocturnal creatures were making themselves heard.

As she reached the familiar burnt circle on the ground, she let out a loud sigh, hoping to get the young boy's attention, or even just a tiny bit of it but, to her disappointment, she didn't. The ArrowJaw didn't get a lot of attention from him, and when she did, it was usually for note taking and research.

She proceeded behind Hiccup's satchel rock, and grabbed some firewood. She then placed the firewood near the subconscious Hiccup, who was speaking random sentences in his sleep, and lit a fire.

'_It is going to keep him warm'_ she tended to the fire, poking at it and blowing, and sneaking a quick glance at Hiccup every now and then. The young boy was already fast asleep, sprouting little snot bubbles from his nose.

"Toothless…" Hiccup said groggily.

Toothless, who was unaware of the situation, perked up at his name being called. His vision was blocked by a large ArrowJaw sitting right in front of Hiccup. Fearing his rider might be in danger, he let out a small yip, beckoning to Hiccup, asking him what was wrong.

"BAD DRAGON!" Hiccup yelled, as raised his fist.

Toothless jumped back at the gesture, completely shocked and afraid that his rider may have gone crazy.

"You…yeah..." Hiccup mumbled, and Toothless being unable to see what was going on, took a few steps closer to the two near the fire. On the other hand, Evergreen was trying desperately not to laugh, for the situation had gotten pretty hilarious.

But, she didn't want to worry Toothless either. So, the ArrowJaw took a step to the side, and turned around to show Toothless that Hiccup was, in fact, talking in his sleep.

When Toothless saw this, he immediately relaxed himself, and let out an annoyed snort at Evergreen, who was started to crack up pretty bad._ 'Oh, shut up'_ He said, turning his back, and walking towards his tree where he would watch the camp while Hiccup and Evergreen slept.

Evergreen simply kept laughing at him as he stuck him claw out to gain hold on the large tree. He put another one out, and this time, his feet also joined the climb. Toothless, after gaining footing, climbed the tree with blinding speed, and reached the top in seconds.

Evergreen turned back to look at Hiccup once more, and then headed back to her resting spot. Once she reached it, she lay down, covering her eggs with her warm body, and started to close her eyes.

'_Tomorrow, I find a rider._' She shut her eyes fully, and accepted the smooth coos of sleep.

* * *

The sun was barely rose above the grassy mountains in the distance. Little birds, and big ones, started to chirp. And the village was up again, doing what they do: Killing. But Toothless was up doing some investigating.

The Village was large, and it was much bigger than Berk. It had walls made out of carved wooden sticks that had sharp points on the top. In the middle sat what seemed to be a large mead hall, and to the right was a forge. Different in design but, still served the same purpose. And although the village had its structural similarities, the people were not the same as the ones on Berk.

The Vikings of this village were different from the usual Vikings. They did not use big axes, nor did they use anything that needed two hands to hold. Shields? Nope, they didn't use them. The only thing they brought was bows, arrows and a small hunting knife.

'_Probably used for cutting ropes…_' Toothless thought.

Spotted near the entrance of the village was a pack of teens loading their quivers for what looked to be, a training exercise. An older Viking, who Toothless assumed to be their trainer, then approached them.

She was well bred, fit, and in her prime years. She had long brown hair that reached her lower back, large blue eyes that looked like they could kill, and a smile that one could describe as Loki's. Aside from that she wore usual gear, large iron shoulder pads, a brown wooly vest, and a plated skirt.

'_She looks like that brutal Viking girl from Berk_' Toothless tensed as he remembered what she tried to do to Hiccup, and almost fell out of his tree.

She talked with them for a little bit ('_unfortunately, my tree is out of range for me to hear you, bastard._'), and then pointed to the forest, instructing them to move out. The pack started to sling over their bows and attach their quivers, some even brought nets.

Toothless, who was watching from a distance, didn't think that this was right. The setting had been all too familiar. Toothless counted the members, and to his surprise, only 6 of them, including the instructor, were moving out.

Eying them closely, Toothless tracked their movements.

He jumped from tree to tree, staying hidden under the veil of darkness, and desperately trying not to make too much noise. He couldn't afford to be caught, especially with the group of Vikings closing in on their position.

They reached a point where the trees blocked out most of the sun's rays, and Toothless thought that it was the best time to make the break back to the cove, when suddenly; a commotion in the group seemed to occur.

One girl, about the age of Hiccup (as Toothless presumed), stood in her place, not moving an inch as the group of Vikings pushed forward. She dropped her took out her bow, and held it in her palm for a moment, then dropped it onto the ground.

The group of Vikings, who now noticed the gesture, turned back in confusion.

"Hazel, what do you think you are doing?" Toothless could barely hear the instructor, and he leaned forward to get a better listen.

"I'm sorry, Syrah." Hazel dropped her quiver, and flashed over a strand over her smooth, brown hair. "I'm not killing them." She turned her back, and walked in the direction of the village.

"Do you really think they wouldn't kill you on the spot, honey?" Syrah shouted at her but, Hazel continued walking. "Yeah, that's right!" Syrah started becoming agitated with her trainee's attitude. "Run back to papa, you stupid child."

Hazel stopped in her tracks, and Syrah looked on. "Maybe you should give them a chance." She continued to walk on, leaving behind the hunting party.

"YOU DON'T KNOW A THING ABOUT THEM, HONEY!" Syrah turned back, and barged through the group of younger Vikings, who were in a state of shock. Hazel had never done anything like this before, for it was rare for her to say anything, much less likely to speak up for something completely against the Viking code.

Toothless watched in awe as he saw the display of courage. He made a mental note to confront the girl later on.

But for now, he had to get back to the cove.

* * *

"You're kidding, right?" Hiccup was panicking, packing his stuff from left to right, stuffing them into his satchel. He strapped it on, and quickly attached Toothless' riding gear with blinding speed and precision.

"Alright, buddy!" He said, jumping on to Toothless' back, and strapping himself to the saddle. He felt quite accomplished to have attached the riding gear in such a short span of time. "Let's fly!"

Toothless bolted upwards faster than Hiccup expected, resulting in Hiccup almost falling off the saddle. But the rider quickly recovered, and looked over his shoulder to check if Evergreen had been following them.

And to his relief, she was right behind them.

Cold air blew through Hiccup's face as he and Toothless burst through the clouds. Pulling his coat tighter to his chest, he lowered himself flat to Toothless' body, trying to absorb some body heat. Toothless noticed the change and quickly signaled Hiccup for a decent into warmer air.

Hiccup clicked on the pedal, and they began their descent, with Evergreen following right behind them. Toothless spread his wings out wider, slowing their fall as the air started to warm up.

He then signaled to Hiccup, shaking his head from side to side. It was a gesture they commonly used to tell each other that they needed something to be seen. "Alright, buddy." Hiccup smiled at his best friend, hoping that his dragon had found something of good use.

Toothless, who flew at great speed, reached in village in no time. Soaring high above it, high enough that arrows wouldn't reach them, he scanned for Hazel.

"What exactly are we looking for in the village?" Hiccup asked. But Toothless was too busy in his search to answer Hiccup's inquiry.

'_Come on…where are—THERE!_' He saw the girl walking out of the southern entrance of the village, opposite to where the hunting party went. Toothless, seeing that the girl was alone, took the opportunity.

"Toothless!" Hiccup leaned closer to the dragon as he shifted the gear into drop them lower, following Toothless' body movements. "What exactly are you going to show me?"

Toothless looked back at him, and gave him a look that said: _'Be patient, okay?'_

"Alright, alright" They dove lower until Toothless saw the girl enter a small cave, which was well concealed, and perfect for their introduction.

Toothless landed in front of the cave, and Evergreen did the same. Immediately, Hiccup jumped off Toothless saddle and confronted the dragon.

"A cave?" Hiccup asked, rolling his eyes. "Seriously?"

Toothless gave him a flat face, slightly ticked off at his ignorance, and pointed his head in the direction of the cave, gesturing them to go inside. Evergreen went in first, Hiccup going in second and Toothless going in last, watching their backs.

Once deep into the cave, the sound of tiny droplets of water could be heard loud and clear. Bats could be seen in the distance as they approached a clearing in the cave.

Hiccup, Toothless and Evergreen scanned the area. A large pool was position in the upper right portion while small rocks and boulders covered the rest of the place. But the most shocking thing about the cave was the presence of human life that lurked within.

Hiccup's heart skipped a beat when he saw her. She was sitting down on a rock, tying the laces on her boots, and Hiccup's mouth was forced open in awe.

She had long brown hair that she combed to the side, and went down to her shoulders. She had subtle hazelnut eyes, and a face of an angel. She wore short shorts, revealing most of her fine legs and a wool vest over her white short sleeved shirt.

She quickly finished tying her boots when she turned around to see the trio standing by the entrance. Her expression quickly turned frightful, and stood up as she saw the two dragons, which were standing beside the thin boy.

Hiccup, feeling the need to lead the dragons, took a step forward. "Look—"

"You here to kill me?" She said softly, and Hiccup figured it took a lot of courage for her to say that.

"No, we are not." Hiccup said, and he approached her, careful enough to not slip or fall due to the rocks that protruded out of the ground. The two dragons followed his lead. "We're here to ask you something." He reached her position, the two dragons keeping some distance this time.

"Stay away please." The girl said shakily.

"Toothless brought me to you for a reason." He said in between gestures, pointing to the Night Fury behind him, and immediately turning back. "So calm down, I—we won't hurt you." He flashed the girl his crooked smile, and she allowed herself to relax.

She took a seat on the rock once more, and Hiccup walked over to another rock, just left of hers, and sat down.

"My name's Hiccup" He said, stretching his hand out to her, and flashing his signature smile once more. "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third."

"You've got a pretty long name, Hiccup." She seemed to let go a bit, chuckling a little bit at his name. "I'm Hazel Havard." She said, putting out her hand to shake his.

"Nice to meet you, Hazel." Hiccup turned around and pointed to Toothless. "That is Toothless." Hiccup then pointed to Evergreen. "And that is Evergreen."

"Say hi, guys!" He said, flashing them his crooked smile too. '_Well, somebody is in a terrific mood._' Toothless thought, and gave Hazel his own version of Hiccup's smile. Evergreen merely roared at her, and tried to look as kind as possible.

Hazel was now totally amazed. "You own them?" She asked, pinged and very curious.

"I do not." Hiccup answered back, stern. "They are my friends, my equals." He gestured to Toothless to come over, and excitedly, Toothless did. Hiccup patted his friend's head, and scratched his lower jaw.

"They're not too bad if you give them a chance."

"Maybe…" Hazel put her head down, and stared at the ground. "You never know till you try right?"

"Yeah, I get you." Hiccup said, and slowly started to build his confidence for the question he was going to ask. "But, the question is, ARE you going to try?"

Hazel already knew her answer. She wasn't born to kill! She didn't have the spirit to kill anything but, to befriend something…it's completely what she wants. She didn't care what others would think of her, for as long as she is doing what her heart tells her, she knows that she will be alright.

"Yes, Hiccup." She said, standing up from her rock, and looking as braver than when Toothless first saw her. "I will."

#### ####

**A/N:** _TADA!_

_I want to know your thoughts please! And please, please don't forget to review! Once again, thanks to everyone who is supports me and I hope you all have a wonderful day!_

_Ravenblack_


	12. Chapter 12: Formed

**A/N: **

_Hey everyone. _

_First of all, let me start by apologizing once more. I've been really busy over the past few days with a lot of things, so it might take a while to get these chapters up. BUT, I've been working on something for you guys too._

_So if you go to chapters 1,2, and 3, you're going to notice that I enhanced the detail of scenarios in those chapters. I do plan to do this for all the chapters, so new chapters might have to wait a bit longer._

_Anyways, I've held you reading my author's note for too long, so please do enjoy this chapter, and tell me what you think at the end!_

**Chapter Twelve: Formed**

"Alright!" Hiccup said with utmost enthusiasm, raising his hands in the air like a mad man. His voice echoed throughout the cave. "Now, come on!" He held his hand out to Hazel, who was tempted to smile, but didn't.

Hazel looked at him for a second, gazing into his eyes. Hiccup returned her stare with a nervous, and somewhat happy, smile. "Okay" She grabbed his hand firmly, and together, they walked in the direction of the shining light that led to the exit.

The cave was dark, making it hard for both of them to see. Lucky for them, for they had one that was born to hunt at night. "Toothless, get over here and help us." Hiccup said, uncontrollably giggly for some apparent reason. Hiccup could barely make out Toothless' form by the small pond, and from what he could tell, Toothless was rolling his eyes.

"Oh, come on, bud." Hiccup whined, but it came out as more of a playful whine. He found his mark along the rocks and halted to a complete stop. "We don't want our new recruit to fall in the water now, do we?"

"I can take care of myself, thank you for asking." Hazel said, trying to put on a strong face, as she too found her mark along the rocks.

Toothless approached them with blinding speed, jumping from corner to corner gracefully. It was truly, a magnificent sight to behold. Toothless neared the pair of humans, and when he finally reached them, let out a little growl.

"Oh gods…" Hazel said shakily, a bead of sweat forming around her brow. She let go of Hiccup's hand and started running away from Toothless. Hiccup merely watched as Hazel took off in the direction of flat, leveled land, which just had to be beside the pond.

He then turned to Toothless, who was _pretending_ to be confused. "Toothless," Hiccup put on a flat face. "Go get her before she hurts herself." Hiccup turned around, and carefully started to walk as fast as he could.

'_Stupid rocks._'

Toothless was much quicker than Hiccup, and got to Hazel in a matter of seconds. He tried to look as peaceful as possible when he confronted her. "Don't come any closer now…" She threatened him, walking backwards and unaware that she was doomed to fall into the pond if she didn't stop.

"Hazel!" Hiccup called out to her, pausing in the middle of his walk. "Don't move!" Noticing that Hazel did not acknowledge his request, he continued to press forward, quickening his pace.

Hazel couldn't think.

Her mind went blank, and fear overwhelmed her control. It would take a lot of time for her to get used to this whole dragon riding thing, but it was something she was willing to endure, for she was against the killing of dragons.

She kept her back pedal, still unaware about the pond behind her, and Hiccup was still making his way to her. "Don't come any closer." She still kept moving backwards, only this time, she slowed down her pace by a little bit.

"Don't you co—" Her sentence was interrupted when she tripped upon an oddly shaped rock, causing her to fall towards the pond. Hiccup knew this would happen, and put a hand over his eyes while Toothless yelped and dashed forward in an effort to save her.

But he knew that he would be too late.

Hiccup and Toothless expected to hear a loud splash, and lots and lots of shouting. But their expectations were not met, for all they heard was silence. Complete silence, save for the sound of droplets of water falling to the ground and the flapping of wings.

_Wait, what? Flapping of wings?_

Hiccup opened up a part of his hand to take a peek at what had happened, and to his surprise, Evergreen had saved her. The ArrowJaw could have potentially saved her from another run back into the village, and when Hiccup saw the look on Hazel's face, he knew that she was thankful for it.

"Thanks." She said softly, and slid off Evergreen's side. She landed on the ground with a loud thump, and slowly put her hand closer to Evergreen's side. "Maybe you guys aren't too bad…"

Hiccup knew what was happening now, for he knew how it felt to be with a dragon, especially when a dragon spares your life, or in this case, saves you from tiring yourself out to get some fresh clothes from the village.

Hazel, who looked nervous and scared at the same time, put her hand on Evergreen side, feeling the warm body heat that she was giving off. Evergreen seemed to be nervous as well, and stiffened when the hand touched her skin.

But slowly, the two began to realize that they weren't going to harm each other, and Hazel moved her hand along Evergreen's skin until she reached the snout. Evergreen, who was feeling pretty nervous just a moment ago, seemed to relax as the hand was placed on her snout.

Hazel and Evergreen got lost in the moment. Hiccup could understand this, for this is the time where a dragon and human entrust themselves to each other. This is the time when a dragon allows a human to ride on him, or her. And most importantly, this is the time when _the bond_ is formed.

Toothless ran up to Hiccup, stood beside him, and looked at his rider with glistening eyes. "Yeah, bud." Hiccup said, still focused on the newly made pair, who was lost in the moment. "Just like us."

Toothless flashed Hiccup a toothless smile, and Hiccup returned it with his old fashion crooked one. They held it for a little longer before being interrupted.

"Hiccup," Hazel called out to him, and smiled excitedly at him. "You were right!" She said, and started walking towards him. Evergreen walked beside her, guiding her so that she would not fall. She wove through little rocks, carefully finding footing.

When she reached Hiccup, she gave the skinny boy a big hug, almost crushing the air out of him. "Thank you." She smiled at him one more time, and that is when Hiccup realized that she was, indeed, taller than him.

But just by a little though.

"Well then," Hiccup said, smiling back at her as she released him from her grasp. "Want to learn how to fly?" Hiccup looked to Toothless, and Toothless flashed another toothless smile, only this time, it looked a lot more devilish.

"Bring it on."

* * *

Astrid awoke to the sound of fart. Seriously, she did wake up to the sound of gas coming out of someone's butthole, and it really did stink. But the young lass tried to ignore it, tired as she was.

But yet, there was always something to get her up in the morning, and this time, it was that despicable huge ball of light in the sky. Of course, she had experienced worse, so the sun was pretty much okay with her.

Her eyes groggily tried to open themselves as rays of the sun started to seep through. The sounds of little birds chirping and hammering of wood could be heard throughout the area, wherever she was. And one familiar, obnoxious voice really stood out.

"Hey, Astrid!" Snotlout bellowed, causing the birds to stop their melodic sounds. Astrid, who was a tad bit ticked off, was unable to get a clear look at where he was. "Rise and shine, babe!"

Astrid forced her eyes to open, when she felt a searing pain come up her arm. _'What the…' _She felt the pain become stronger, and tried to stop it by putting her hand over where it hurt. But her effort had failed, for when she touched it, the pain had increased even more.

Suddenly, the lass started to pant. Her panting drew voices closer and closer, their footsteps getting louder and louder, and each distinct voice sounded very familiar, but distant.

"You alright, Astrid?"

"Astrid, what is the problem?"

Finally, her eyes gave in, and she was able to see where she was.

She was lying down, as far as she could tell, and Fishlegs and the gang had gathered around her. Their faces were filled with worry and fear. But Fishlegs' face was beaded with sweat, and he looked down at her with the utmost concern.

'_Way more concern than the others._'

"You okay?" Fishlegs asked, and wiped his face with a piece of cloth.

"Yeah." Astrid replied back softly. Her voice did not come out quite the way she wanted it to. "I'm fine."

"What happened, Astrid?" Ruffnut said. "You started panting, and we all got scared."

"Yeah?" Astrid said back. "Well, tell you what happened last night."

Before she told her story, they pulled her up, and brought her into a sitting position. Fishlegs asked if she needed some water, but she said that she didn't. Then, she started her story. She told them about the fall, and how it felt to be under the stars, and things that she usually would not say to people.

"Right." Fishlegs said after Astrid had finished telling him of what happened the previous night. "I'm going to get some supplies back in the village then."

"Thanks, Fish." Astrid said. "The rest of you, get back to work." She clapped her hands together, and the sound of hammering and whining started to emerge from the silence once more. The noisy atmosphere proved to be familiar to her, so she didn't have much trouble thinking about the next step for their plan to succeed.

As she thought about the parts, and mechanics that might help on them on their journey, they still had to get a lead on Hiccup's location.

And for a fact, she didn't even know if Hiccup had decided to settle down in one area, or to keep up a nomadic lifestyle. But either way, she would not be swayed by such factors, for one Astrid Hofferson sets her eyes on a goal, she is bound to get there.

"No matter how long it takes," Astrid murmured to herself. "I'm going to find you, Hiccup." She clenched her hand into a fist and stared at it.

"So prepare yourself."

* * *

**A/N: **_Alright guys!_

_So, how did everyone find the chapter? _

_I know that this one might not be so eventful but I am trying to build the story up bit by bit. If you have got any suggestions or constructive criticism, please leave me a review! Or if you just like what I've done with this chapter, please leave me one too!_

_This is to further enhance my writing skills, and it is also to write better stories for you guys too. =D_

_Well, see you in about 5 days! ( I'm not going to promise anything this time though.)_

_Ravenblack_


	13. Chapter 13: Mystic

**A/N: **_Hey everyone!_

_Oh dear, I'm really terribly sorry for this very, very late upload. I know you hate it when we authors do that, and believe me; I hate it as much as you do. But if any of the readers are wondering, I've got exams coming up and I really, really need to study for those exams._

_So please be patient with me for the next few chapters. _

_Anyways, that is all I have to say for this one. I do hope that it was not too short, but I must confess, I did rush the ending of the chapter a bit. I just wanted to get this one out as fast as I could. _

_I've kept you reading my stupid note long enough, so without further ado, please enjoy this chapter! Oh, and don't forget to review! Please and thank you, everyone._

_Ravenblack_

**Chapter 13: Mystic**

Flying and training. Training to fly. How to train your dragon.

Hazel and Hiccup rushed out of the cave accompanied by two dragons. One of these dragons just newly bonded with her rider, and it was going to be their first flight together. Lucky for them, they did not have to go through the process of trial and error.

Warm light blinded them for a moment, until the point where their eyes could adjust. Hiccup put a hand above his eyes, like a salute gesture, to shield his eyes from the light.

When their eyes had finally adjusted, Hiccup scanned the surrounding area.

It a pretty small patch of land, clear of trees and other obstacles that might hinder take off. The trees and bushes were huddled up in a circle around the cave. The ground was pretty moist though, leading Hiccup to believe that it had rained while they were inside the cave.

He hadn't been inside for that long, had he?

Hiccup turned to Hazel, who was still holding his hand. "Alright," He said. "Get on Evergreen."

Wholeheartedly, Hazel started walking towards her new dragon. Evergreen saw her walking towards her, but made no move to close the gap between them. Hazel approached Evergreen and the young mother slowly bended her body down.

This was in order to facilitate the hop onto the back of the dragon.

Hazel, once she had reached Evergreen, placed her hand on the dragon's neck, and slowly climbed onto the dragon's back. "Here," Hiccup called out to her. "You'll need this." He threw her a long rope, and instructed her to tie it around Evergreen's neck. After which, he then explained why they needed the rope, and how they were going to fly.

"I understand." Hazel said. "Now, let's fly."

"Awesome!" Hiccup ran over to where Toothless was, and mounted him in an instant. "Ready?" He said, attaching some ropes to the saddle.

"Ready."

"Okay, I want you to—"Hiccup stopped his sentence, noticing that Evergreen and Hazel had already taken off. In a swirly motion, as Hiccup would describe it. Still, not the best idea to ignore words from the great Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third.

"I think they're mocking us, bud." Hiccup's body instinctively melted with Toothless'. "Let's show them what we can do." Toothless let out a loud roar, which echoed throughout the entire forest, and rocketed into the sky.

They flew at immeasurable speeds, Hiccup and Toothless, and were able to catch up to the disorganized pair in two seconds flat. They were up in the clouds, at almost the same altitude where Toothless and Hiccup had their first flight.

Well, coordinated flight, actually.

"Hazel!" Hiccup called out to her. "Take it easy, and follow me." He banked to the left, not waiting for Hazel to answer him. Left was in the direction of the turbulent seas, away from the island. Why he did that was to avoid villagers and tribesmen from spotting the display in the sky.

"Alright, Evergreen." Hazel said softly, gripping the rope tighter, and laying one hand upon Evergreen's back. "A little to the left now."

Unfortunately, Evergreen was being unresponsive to Hazel's requests and she was starting to get nervous. Would she ever live to tell the tale? Or was this a sick joke played by Hiccup and Toothless? These questions would soon be answered but, until then, she would have to wait.

"Hazel!" Hiccup called out once more as he reappeared beside her. "I forgot to mention one very important thing."

'_Great Hiccup, just great._' Hazel thought, rolling her eyes.

"Dragons, they act differently when they're flying." Hiccup said. "You've got to feel your partner, connect with her, and most importantly, trust her."

"A him actually, in my case." Hiccup smirked, and slowly pointed Toothless' in the direction of the ocean. "Do not despair, Hazel." He encouraged her. "You got this."

A bead of swear formed around Hazel's brow as she held the rope even tighter.

'_You've got to feel your partner'_ Hiccup's voice was stuck on replay mode in her head. '_You've got to trust your dragon, Hazel._'

Reluctantly, Hazel closed her eyes, and allowed herself to feel her dragon. At first, it was just darkness, pure darkness. But after a while, she could hear her dragon's lungs pumping oxygen in and out. She could feel the dragon's body movements, telling her where to go.

But something was wrong. Something did not feel right. It was as if something had struck a nerve in Evergreen, causing Hazel to lose all connection with her partner.

Out of curiosity, Hazel opened her eyes, and regretted her decision the instant she made it. Hazel and Evergreen were falling, and the ground seemed to become larger and larger by the millisecond.

* * *

Hazel didn't remember much of what happened. All she knew was that after she had made her connection with Evergreen, they started to fall. But she couldn't explain why, and neither could Hiccup.

"Some kind of force entered Evergreen's mind." Hiccup said. "It also did the same with Toothless, but to a much lesser extent."

They were back in the cove, Evergreen's cove, where she took care of her eggs. The scenery had not changed, as expected, for they were only gone for a few hours. The raging river was still roaring, and the wed mud was still present.

Hazel was sitting upright, her back leaning on a large tree. A few bruises here and there, but nothing that Hiccup could not handle. Toothless seemed to be in great shape too, as well as Hiccup, for they were not targeted by the mental assault. Evergreen was, and she wasn't doing so well.

The ArrowJaw didn't wake up yet.

It had taken quite a bit of time for Hiccup and Toothless to drag Evergreen's unconscious body all the way back to the cove, and boy, were they exhausted. They were up on a tree, patrolling for anything that might dare to attack Evergreen in her weakened state.

'_It all just happened so fast_.' Hazel thought. 'A _few hours ago, I was told that dragons are the source of all evil._' She allowed herself the pleasure of slouching a little. '_Next thing I know, I meet some crazed boy who RIDES dragons._' Sweat started to form. '_Then, I'm actually riding a dragon_.'

"Wow." She blurted. "One hell of a day." And just then did she notice that she said it out loud, which rewarded her with stares from both Hiccup and Toothless.

"Don't worry about it." Hiccup said, noticing Hazel's nervousness. He climbed down the tree, and as he reached the bottom, said: "Care to fly again?"

"But Evergreen isn't even up yet."

"When she gets up, of course." Hiccup said, and flashed his signature, crooked smile.

* * *

The sun had started to set as Hazel, accompanied by Hiccup, flew by the island. It had been two days ever since the incident and Hazel was doing absolutely fine.

The wind was blowing through her majestic brown hair, causing it to spread in all sorts of directions. But the feeling, though. She loved it. Each and every tiny bit of flying pumped adrenaline into her veins, whether it is the take off, or the landing.

Hazel turned her head to the side, and took a quick glance at Hiccup, who had been guiding her throughout her training. And she was thankful, really. For it had been a while since anyone had made her feel this good.

'_This person, this outcast of the Viking society just helped me experience what it meant to be weightless._' She thought to herself, and turned her head back into the proper position.

She patted Evergreen, her newly made best friend and companion, with care. As she felt Evergreen's slick scales, the large ArrowJaw turned her head back and gave her rider a fragile smile. Her rider had yet to learn about the huge burden she was about to bestow upon herself by bonding with Evergreen.

And hopefully, the rider would accept the burden.

Worst case scenario: Hazel would storm away, leaving Evergreen to quest for another rider. But she most probably would not, as Hiccup had told Evergreen; for the young lad had preemptions about the new rider's decision.

Most likely reaction to the eggs: A hand slowly going over an open mouth, with eyes wide with mixed emotions of fear and shock. Yup, Hiccup thought he had the correct assumptions of the initial reaction.

But beyond that point, Hiccup could not have figured out the answer that Hazel would give to Evergreen. Hiccup had reassured Evergreen that it would be alright, and that Hazel would _probably _say yes to that much of a responsibility.

But the young mother could not help but worry, for she had a lot to worry about. One was because of the fact that she blacked out, she's putting her rider in potential harm. Two, she had to worry about the humans. Hiccup and Toothless would not stay forever, and she had to find a solution to deal with them. And three, the eggs.

Oh yes, the eggs, the biggest problem of them all.

Hazel slowly pulled her miniature hands away from Evergreen, and gripped the piece of leather rope, which was hung around Evergreen's neck, firmly. They were on their way back to the cove, for the quad had just called it a day.

Hazel had learned a lot of things over the past two days, and since Evergreen had woken up just after Hiccup suggested to go flying, they didn't have to waste much time.

So she learned how to turn, how to land, and all sorts of crazy things. But it was fun, and Hazel deeply enjoyed the experience. And it was an experience she would forever remember throughout her entire life.

And she owed it all to Hiccup.

The pairs of dragon and human landed back in the cove. Hiccup dismounted Toothless in an instant while Hazel was still trying to get the hang of the whole mounting and dismounting thing.

"Alright guys," Hazel said. "Back to the village for me." She turned around, and started to walk in the direction of her village, when she was abruptly stopped by Evergreen's loud roar.

"Yeah?" She said, turning back to face the three.

"Evergreen's got something that she wants to show to you."

* * *

**A/N: **_Okay everyone!_

_How did you guys find the chapter? Was it too short? Too cheesy? Not dramatic enough? Doesn't quite fit the chapter? _

_Please leave a review and tell me what you think. I would really want to hear from you. Also, I would like to clarify my upload schedule once more. I cannot promise to upload every 5 days anymore, for my life has become pretty busy. So, the new upload schedule will be as soon as I am finished writing it. _

_But yeah, I will try my best to put out these chapters for you guys. Even if it means getting a tad bit lower average than I'm used to._

_Anyways, thanks for reading and I hope that you will continue to follow this story. _

_Ravenblack_


	14. Chapter 14: Reconciliation

_A/N: Dear GAD_

_Oh my god, everyone. I'm fashionably late, aren't I? Just kidding! I am truly and deeply sorry for all these late updates. These stupid exams and projects just keep getting in my way! (It's a huge pain)_

_Anyhow, please enjoy the chapter. Do not, absolutely do not forget to review this story! _

_Thanks in advance, guys!_

_Ravenblack_

**Chapter 14: Reconciliation **

"What, exactly, did you want to show me?" Hazel raised her eyebrow as she approached Evergreen, who was laid down on the warm mud. Toothless and Hiccup moved to the side to give way to Hazel.

Evergreen's forest green eyes burned deep into her rider's eyes, as if she was taking a timely peek into her rider's soul. "What?" Hazel said nervously, but Evergreen did not remove her gaze.

The sun was almost below the mountain range, and there was not a lot of time before Hazel had to return to her town. The sounds of creatures of the night slowly started to emerge, as tiny fireflies could be faintly seen buzzing around the area.

"Evergreen, what is it?" Hazel asked again, adding her own version of an impatient tone. She did not know how to sound impatient though, for she was used to having to wait for a long measure of time.

Her father, the blacksmith of the town, always taught her to show no emotion, for it was a sign of weakness, and that she must always be ready to face the task at hand. She was trained for this, trained to be patient, to lurk in the shadows. To wait patiently for her prey to make its appearance, and when it did appear, she would kill it in a heartbeat.

She had not forgotten the lessons her father had taught her, and although she despised him, she still respected the values that he taught her. But he was long gone from this world.

Finally, after a long gaze, Evergreen stood up, and took careful steps towards Hazel. The mud on the ground making discreet splashing sounds as the ArrowJaw stepped.

Hazel looked at Evergreen nervously, and it fell upon her that her dragon was trying to convey a message to her, one that seemed to be a very, very important message. The fear in Evergreen's eyes told Hazel that this was a secret to be kept between them only. (Let's not forget Hiccup and Toothless, of course)

Evergreen flicked her tail up and down, the gesture for saying: Follow me, please.

With mixed emotions, Hazel walked in the footsteps of her dragon, until both of them arrived in a spot that seemed to be nothing special. Or so that was what Hazel thought.

Evergreen dug out the mud slowly and carefully, leaving Hazel to be even more curious about what lay underneath the mud. It was then that she realized that there was something, something so fragile buried beneath the wet mud.

"Oh…" Hazel couldn't think of anything else to say. The young lassie was practically speechless.

"Who would have thought that Evergreen was a mother?" She blurted out loud, and quickly covered her mouth, hinting that it came directly from her thoughts.

She looked at Evergreen, who was in a somewhat…neutral mood, and turned her head to the side to see Hiccup and Toothless wearing the same, exact face. Hiccup and Toothless looked at her with flat faces, and Hiccup raised an eyebrow afterwards.

"Seriously?" He said, and Toothless let out a small, unaggressive growl at the remark.

"W-w-what?" Hazel stammered back, as she was completely shocked way out of her head. "I seriously did NOT expect that! At all!" She countered back.

"Hey, don't worry about it." Hiccup said, walking towards her. "We were just kidding with you, Hazel."

"I hate you guys." She said playfully. "Anyways, back to business." She looked at Evergreen, who was silently burying her eggs once more. "Why did you want me to know about your eggs, Evergreen?"

Evergreen looked at her, trying to find the expressions and actions to throw back, but couldn't do it. As a result, Hiccup helped out. "She needs a rider to convince the people of your tribe that dragons are friendly." He said. "She needs someone she can trust."

"And how am I—"

"She needs you." He said seriously. "For the safety of the next generation of ArrowJaws."

* * *

Hazel was pretty angry to be honest. She was tricked into "making friends" with this ArrowJaw just for the sake of her eggs! She was being used, and Hiccup played a large part in the scheme.

"I'm finished here, Hiccup."

"Hazel, wait." He said. "Look at Evergreen." He paused, rubbed his temples and continued. "I'm not always going to be on this island, and I'm not always going to be here to help Evergreen."

"You've seen the dragons. They aren't hostile." He said seriously, and paused again to think about his next move.

"You know what the village believes!" Hazel shouted back, her voice rising in volume.

Hiccup was becoming frustrated. "Hazel, Evergreen needs someone." He said. "Why can't you see that?"

"I can, but misleading me to believe something?" She said angrily. "Just for the sake of protection?"

"Hazel, whatever happened was real." Hiccup replied back. "You can't just bond with a dragon. Trust has to be given to one another, and it's something that is very hard to gain from a dragon."

"Well, now it's something that Evergreen's got to work for all over again." She said, and stormed off in the direction of her village.

* * *

"Ugh!" Hazel complained to herself, her mind racing with thoughts that should not be there. "Why does it always have to be so hard?"

She was walking towards the direction of the town, and the moon was barely visible above the colossal trees. The only sounds that could be heard were the sounds of footsteps on wet mud.

'_I was being used'_ She thought. '_Why didn't they just tell me in the first place?'_

'_I never wanted to be mislead under the idea of actually making friends with a dragon' _

'_It would have been so nice, so amazing if it were as real as I would like it to be.'_

"HAZEL!" She heard a familiar voice that came from, no other than, the skies above her. She looked up to see the wild faces of Hiccup and Toothless, with Evergreen, who was sporting a depressed, sad face, close behind.

"I NEED TO TALK TO YOU!" He shouted, and she could barely hear him from the altitude he was at.

"GET DOWN HERE, HICCUP!"

Hiccup switched the foot pedal into the correct gear, and leaned closer to Toothless. The pair descended slowly towards the ground, and when they touched down, they greeted Hazel with a formal greeting.

"Hello."

"Hi."

"Can I speak to you? Somewhere that people would not see us, if you mind."

"Oh, nobody will see us here." Hazel said. "Don't worry."

"Alright." Hiccup said, as he took a seat in the mud while Toothless and Evergreen trailed off into the forest. "Have a seat."

Hazel reluctantly took a seat in the mud. "What did you want to talk to me about, _Hiccup?_" She emphasized the word Hiccup. If there was one thing Hazel disliked, it was being used.

"Do you know how long it took me to have Toothless trust me?" He said leaning in closer to Hazel. "It took an almighty long time, I'll tell you."

"Hiccup, why are you telling me this?"

"One, because you don't know what it's like to have a dragon by your side." He put up one finger. "And two, a dragon is the best friend one could ever stumble upon."

"Right." Hazel said sarcastically. "I'm supposed to believe that Evergreen wanted to mingle with me because she wanted to be friends?"

"No." Hiccup said firmly. "Let me tell you the story of Toothless and I."

"I shot down Toothless, and that is the reason why he does not have another tailfin." It seemed like it took most of Hiccup's courage to say that. "But I do not regret it."

"When I shot him down, I thought: '_This is it. This is the time I can prove to my father, to my tribe that I, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third am a Viking!'_. But when the time came for me to kill Toothless, I couldn't."

"I don't know if I was weak, or I was a wimp, but the decision I made was even more alarming, to say the least."

"I freed Toothless."

"I just freed a Night Fury, one of the most dangerous and exotic dragons one can hope to slay."

"And as I freed him, he jumped on me. But he didn't kill me. And at the time, we didn't even have a friendship. All we had was a mutual agreement: I spared his life, he spared mine."

"Soon, I was making him a makeshift tailfin."

"And soon, he came to trust me. Human and dragon working together, putting their pasts behind them, and joining as one."

Hazel remained quiet throughout Hiccup's story and Hiccup could read what emotion she was giving off.

"Alright." She said. Hiccup looked at her, slightly alarmed at her quick decision. "Alright, I get you."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah." Hazel said. "Don't worry. I was just a little ticked off by the fact that I was being used, but seeing you were in a much more horrendous situation, I guess being used is okay."

"That's…great." Hiccup said. "The ending was a little cheesy though, don't you think?"

"Very, very cheesy." Hazel said playfully. "How about I get some supplies back at the village, and we can have some yummy rabbit stew back at the cove?"

"Sounds awesome." Hiccup said. "TOOTHLESS, EVERGREEN!" He called, and immediately the two dragons burst out from the forest and into the human-made path.

"Hey, Evergreen." Hazel said. "Sorry."

Evergreen looked back at her rider with a look at that said: _'Yeah, me too.'_

"I'm guessing that Evergreen will be coming with you?"

"Yep."

"Alright then." Hiccup said, with a smile on his face. "See you back at the cove."

"See you." Hazel said, and turned around, with Evergreen by her side.

Hiccup allowed himself a large smile, and without looking at Toothless, said: "High five, buddy." And in an instant, the perfect high five between man and beast was established.

* * *

_A/N: How did you find the chapter, everyone?_

_Too much humor? Too serious? Didn't fit the mood of the story?_

_Please leave me a review and tell me your thoughts on the story/chapter._

_Thanks for reading and I'll see you soon. (I hope)_

_Ravenblack_


	15. Chapter 15: Confrontation

**A/N:**_ YAY!_

_Okay guys, I don't really have much to say about this chapter buuuuuutt, please do enjoy it. _

_Ravenblack_

**Chapter 15: Confrontation**

The flight back to Hiccup's, Hazel's, Toothless' and Evergreen's home—or cove, if you care to call it that way—took longer than what they expected it to be.

As the pair of dragon and human flew barely above the moon kissed trees, the sounds of little bugs and creatures started to fill life into the scene. Hiccup and Toothless were high above the ground, while Evergreen and Hazel were much closer to the trees, allowing the vague shadow of the clouds to fall upon them.

Flying by themselves, with no help and guidance from Hiccup, Hazel and Evergreen seemed to notice the mysterious and eerie feeling that started to drape over them. Leaning closer to Evergreen, Hazel pulled her blackened wool vest closer to her body.

She was frightened by the supernatural. She tried to ignore the feeling, but she had this small tingling in the back of her head telling her that there was something following her. She not dare take a peek, for she did not want to know what was on her tail. _Her dragon's tail, at least._

Hazel signaled Evergreen to fly faster towards the cove, as the dread started to feel closer and closer.

The winds roared in their faces, as they swept by the landscape. The trees below them had turned into a sea of pale green, and the skies to their sides had all but blurred out. No matter how fast they flew, Hazel could still feel it approaching faster and faster, like an axe twirling in the air.

She prepared herself for the worst. Closing her eyes, she hugged Evergreen tightly, knowing that whatever was behind her might potentially kill her.

"Hey, Hazel." Hiccup voice came out loud and clear, as he and Toothless appeared at Evergreen's side. "You're going a little too fast, don't you think?"

"Huh?" Hazel said in astonishment, and slowly opened her eyes to see that the impending creature that she expected was no other than Hiccup and Toothless. "Oh," She said, and patted Evergreen. Evergreen turned her head around, and Hazel gave her a polite, but well acknowledged nod.

"What was that about?" Hiccup asked.

"I don't know, Hiccup." Hazel said in reply, looking down. "I just felt something creeping up behind me." Evergreen snorted. "Oh right, _us." _Hazel looked to Hiccup and said: "It was such an eerie feeling, and you know how much I hate the supernatural."

"All the stories of draugrs and bat-men frighten me."

"Yeah, I know." Hiccup said. "What was it like?"

"Honestly, I don't know." Hazel kept her eyes focused on Hiccup's. "It just felt dark, powerful… and _ancient_" Hazel took her eyes off Hiccup and looked to the left, to the sea. "Like some enraged creature was waking."

Hiccup had put his head down and remained silent throughout the explanation, trying to figure out what she had meant.

"I really don't know, Hiccup." Hazel said shakily. "What was that?" She said turning her head to face Hiccup.

"I don't have an answer either." Hiccup said calm and firm, and turned his head to look at Hazel. They stared at each other for a brief moment, and sensed each other's fear and urgency. "Quickly now, let's get back to camp."

* * *

A good ten to thirty minutes had passed since the group had started flying, and they were getting worried.

Hiccup tugged on his brown vest, bringing it closer to his body as Toothless' scanned the area for any signs of their deserted home. Evergreen and Hazel were far off to the side, also searching for the cove too, when Hiccup had made a sudden change of plans.

He moved in closer to them, and said: "Hazel, why don't you let Evergreen drop you back at your village? Your father might be pretty worried about you." He let his eyes trail to the side, and tried to hide a face.

"Nah, it's alright, Hiccup." Hazel spoke back, and looked at him. "Besides, I want to see the eggs one last time before I go back to the village."

"Okay, fine." Hiccup said, turning his head forward.

Shortly after their conversation had ended, Toothless made a promising find. He jerked to the side, prompting Hiccup to switch gears. "Did you find it, bud?"

Toothless didn't reply but instead, started to descend upon a small clearing in the middle of the forest. "What are you doing, buddy?" In the clearing, there lay a small rock, shaped like an oval in the middle of the clearing, and had some strange symbols carved on the face. "What is it…?" Hiccup said, getting off the saddle.

Toothless—and Hiccup— approached the rock with care Toothless sniffed it and signaled his rider that it was worth something. "You sure about this, bud?" Hiccup questioned. "It might slow us down by a bit, considering the" Hiccup was interrupted by Toothless, who growl at him. "Alright, alright."

Hiccup carried the strange stone, and mounted Toothless. They were about to take flight when they suddenly heard Hazel's voice calling out to them from the skies. "Guys, I think I—we!—found the cove!"

"Great!" Hiccup shouted back at her. "We'll be there in a second!" Hazel dashed in the direction of the cove, and Hiccup switched gears to prepare for the accent into the skies.

Hiccup and Toothless were about to launch himself when suddenly, a thick, and unshakable feeling passed over them, leaving them dizzy and disoriented. "Ugh," Hiccup said, recovering from the daze. "What was that?"

Toothless seemed to recover faster, and gave his rider a questionable look. "Whatever." Hiccup said in a low tone. "Let's just get back to our "home"." He said, with an emphasis on the word home, and Toothless let out a small, contained chuckle.

'_Toothless seems to be worrying about something_.' Hiccup thought. '_Hmmm, what could have that been…?'_

Setting his thoughts aside, Hiccup and Toothless busted from the ground with extreme speed, and found the cove in no time at all. They descended upon the cove, where Evergreen and Hazel had lit a fire.

"What took you?" Hazel asked.

"What do you mean?" Hiccup said, getting off Toothless.

"You've been gone for an hour." Hazel said, and that was when Hiccup's face turned into a sea of puzzled expressions. Realizing her mentor's confusion, she said: "You did not notice?"

"No…" Hiccup said. "We only stayed on the ground for five minutes."

"Hiccup, tell me exactly what happened…" Hazel said, and looked to Toothless, who was behind Hiccup. "And what is that stone doing strapped to Toothless' back?"

* * *

Hiccup told her the whole story with Toothless at his side, making awfully weird expressions.

"I see." Hazel said when Hiccup had finished. "I don't know much about mythology but judging by the marking on the stone, you're going to want to head further south if you want to know more about it."

"Oh," Hiccup said, his power of speech abandoning him. _'What are you going to do, Hiccup?'_ He asked himself. '_Leave her to convince her village, or find the meaning of this stupid rock.'_

Hiccup, who was a little puzzled, looked to Toothless, who gave him his impression of a poker face. "What?" Toothless shook his head towards Hazel, and Hiccup understood immediately. "Oh, right."

"Hazel, we will help you convince your village about the dragons." Hiccup said, and noticed the change of emotion she had on her face. "But after that, we're going to leave to find out the meaning of the stone."

Hazel's expression immediately changed from happy to sad in a short span of time. "Alright, Hiccup." She said, depressingly. "Can we come with you?"

"Unfortunately, you can't." Hiccup said firmly. "You've got eggs to take care of." He said with a smile and looked to Evergreen. Hazel gazed with an emotion that she had never shown before.

'_Does she…like me?' _Hiccup thought. _'THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE.'_

"Understood." Hazel said.

"G-Great," Hiccup blushed, and struggled to flash his signature smile. "Prepare your stuff; we leave for your village tomorrow." He said, regaining composure. A thought entered his mind, and he smirked at it.

"Unless you want to do other things."

* * *

Hazel woke up, yawning.

The sky was bright blue, and the clouds were nowhere to be found. '_It's a good day to fly.' _Hazel thought, and slowly opened her eyes.

The bright rays of the sun shined and glistened past the leaves of the trees, but the sounds of the night before still rung in her ears. That was when she suddenly recalled what happened on the previous night. '_Oh my gods, I'm so dead!'_

"Hazel?" Hiccup said groggily, awakening from his deep slumber. He was a few feet away from her, with nothing on except for his leggings. His boots were thrown to the side, and his tunic was on top of Toothless. '_What in Midgard happened last night…?'_

Hazel then realized that she too was only wearing her white shirt, which was way higher than she was used to, and her shorts, which were way lower than she was used to, too!

She pulled up her shorts, and fixed her shirt. She then proceeded to pick up her clothes from around the cove and stack up Hiccup's clothes in one big pile.

She then took a scoop of water using her hands and splashed it on Hiccup's face. "WAKE UP!" She shouted. "We've got to convince my village today!" Her commands also woke up Toothless, who was by the river, and Evergreen, who was lying on top of her eggs.

"Right…" Hiccup said, and turned away from her.

"HICCUP!" She shouted, and started assaulting his back. "GET UP! RIGHT NOW!"

"OKAY!" Hiccup turned around, and opened his eyes, only to see Hazel's face looking down on him. "How do you expect me to get up when your face is above mine?" He smiled at her, and she smiled back at him.

"Right."

Hiccup got up, got dressed, and took the necessary materials he might need. He took a quick bite from one of the nearby berry bushes then he slung his satchel over his chest. Obvious enough, he left the stone to lean on a nearby tree, where it would be kept safe.

"Ready?" He mounted Toothless, and leaned closer to him, preparing for takeoff.

"Ready." Hazel replied back, mounting Evergreen, and together, they launched themselves into the turquoise sky.

As they ascended higher, Hiccup started to fumble with his hair, combing it, and trying to groom it. It was something Hazel had never seen before, and was completely new to the fact that Hiccup did have pretty good looking hair.

The pair flew barely below the clouds, the place where Evergreen and Hazel were most comfortable in. Not for Hiccup and Toothless though, they loved to soar above the clouds. It was during this one flight above the clouds that they had seen magnificent beams of light of all colors, shapes and sizes so it was safe to say that it was their favorite area in the skies.

"Alright," Hiccup said to Hazel, who was flying right beside him. "I talk, you back me up."

"Right," Hazel replied firmly. "Got it."

A few minutes of flying and they finally spotted the village. It was large and brown from the top, but some structures had iron and steel roofs. The group descended towards the village, and half way through their descent, the villagers started to notice them.

There were no archers waiting to attack them, nor were there any guards waiting to fight them on the ground. "That's weird." Hiccup said. "No guards, no…anything."

"No, it's is normal for us." Hazel replied back. "We do not have much protection, but if the hunters were here, they would most probably shoot us."

"I guess it's good that we came at this hour, then."

The group chose a spot in the middle of the village, right in front of what Hiccup assumed to be the mead hall. And as the group of villagers cautiously approached, now with spears and axes held clumsily, Hiccup prepared himself for his speech.

"Villagers of this town," Hiccup announced. "We have come here to show you that dragons are not what you think they are." He patted Toothless head, and dismounted. "They are—"

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" A small man, with a long red beard down his chin pushed through the crowd. He wore leather padding on his tunic and leggings, and had a one handed axe strapped to his side.

"YOU." He pointed a finger to Hiccup. "YOU DEFENDED THE DRAGON IN THE FOREST." He looked to his side and saw Hazel, who was riding on the beast that he was about to slay in the woods. "HAZEL!" He shouted. "AND WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING ON THAT HIDEOS MONSTROCITY?"

"STOP!" Hiccup intervened, and Toothless growled to emphasize his rider's point. "Let me speak." He said, as the villagers watched in awe, and fear.

"Chief… Aldrich," Hiccup struggled to remember the chief's name. "Dragons, as you have been told, and have come to see, can be brutal and aggressive." His statement brought out many comments from the crowd.

"BUT," Hiccup said, staring at the chief, who was now a step forward from the circle that gathered around Hiccup, Toothless, Evergreen and Hazel. "If you get to know them, they can be pretty nice companions."

"Even to the point of becoming your best friend." He said, looked to Toothless, and they both shared a smile, which garnered some pleasant responses from the crowd. "Take Hazel and Evergreen for example." He nodded to Hazel.

"Okay, Chief." Hazel began. "These dragons are like us."

"They can think, they can feel and they can love." Hazel said. "They know right and wrong like we do, and have a conscience like us."

"And pretty much the only time they become aggressive is when they are trying to protect something they love."

"Evergreen was protecting her eggs in the forest, and that's why she attacked you for coming into her territory." Hiccup pointed out. "Think about it, Chief."

"They do more good than harm." Hiccup said. "But only if you make friends with them, and treat them with love, care and respect."

The chief, for the first time in his life, was silenced. The crowd bore expressions of awe, shock, fear and some, to a point, excitement. Hiccup stared at the chief. Hazel looked to her hunting party, who was shocked and in awe.

The chief let out a loud sigh, and spoke. "I'll let this one slide." He said, trying to look angry, but alas could not hide it. The crowd was stunned by the decision, but they slowly started to accept the fact that dragons were going to be roaming the village. After a moment of murmurs and whispers, the chief spoke again. "Although, you will have to teach us how to train these dragons."

"I cannot." Hiccup said quickly. "I have other important matters to attend to."

"Then I will not allow the dragons to enter, and we shall continue persecuting them." The statement gained a growl from both Toothless and Evergreen, which resulted in the crowd taking a few steps back.

"No." Hiccup said firmly. "Hazel has been trained to do that, and she will fulfill."

The chief thought about it for a bit, looked to the ground beneath his feet, and looked back at Hiccup. He let out another long, loud sigh and spoke. "Very well."

* * *

**A/N**_**: **__GAH_

_Why do I always screw up the endings? Sorry I had to end it here guys, I wanted to write more but I'm afraid that I have already kept you waiting for an update for so long. _

_Oh and give me your thoughts on the chapter and what do you think will happen to Hiccup and Hazel! What's going to be the future of the village? And how will Hiccup fare with his romance? _

_Anyways, please do review! It really does help me, and it inspires me to continue writing._

_Thanks!_

_Ravenblack_


	16. Chapter 16: Preparation

**A/N**_: Alrighty!_

_Hey everyone! This chapter is going to be a little bit different from the previous five chapters that I posted because this time, Astrid is coming back into the scene. Astrid's point of view will continue for about two to four more chapters before we switch back to Hiccup's. _

_Anyways, this chapter took long enough for me to upload, so please do enjoy! _

_Oh and I am sorry for updating so late. I've got all these test and what not. Please don't forget to review! =D_

**Chapter 16: Preparation**

Hiccup's fine leather boots made a light mark on the dirt ground as he silently walked towards the town square. Down, and without the company of others, he managed to take a glance at the sky. The sun was up in the air, and the young lad started contemplating about his last two days in the village. He had surely learned a lot of marvelous things.

The island—oh, the island he settled in for 3 weeks—was called Thoughtful, and the people that thrived on it were—well, the people of Thoughtful. He still loved the way the sun would rise up, barely touching the tops of the high mountain ranges, and still found the coves, which were scattered around the island, to be very awesome.

But the people—THE people—was what interested him the most.

The "Thots", as Hiccup had dubbed them, were strong, lean and swift. Although not as strong or muscular as the Berkians, these people were agile, and proved to be more efficient and deadly than even the strongest warriors on Berk. With determination, these people could hunt down anything that crossed their path, even dragons.

Most of these hunters were skilled in the art of Archery and Subtlety. They would hunt their prey in the shadows, hiding behind large trees and bushes, and sometimes, on the tree tops. They would swiftly jump from tree top to tree top, or silently move in and out of bushes and quickly shoot an arrow that would directly pierce into the victim's heart.

They were trained for precision, not strength.

A lot of these hunters adopted the same clothing design as Hazel's. The women would wear short skirts that barely reached their kneecaps, skin tight leather and wool tops, and high cropped leather boots. The men, however, would wear skinny leather leggings, and put on camouflaged, woolen tops. They would also sport leather boots, much like Hiccup's except these boots had spikes implanted on the bottom.

The main factor that glued these two outfits together was their choice of weapons. All of them brought had a bow strapped to their back, short knives hooked to their leggings, and a quiver to hold the arrows.

When Hiccup noticed this a day back, he immediately jumped. '_Hazel hadn't been carrying any weapons…' 'Does that mean that she already trusted the dragons from the start?'_

He paused for a moment or two, thinking deeply about the realization.

'_She must have a lot of faith in the dragons…or maybe in me…'_

His journey of learning pushed further as he got more acquainted with the people of the village. A lot of the people were willing to teach him, guide him and what not but, some others did not like him being around. The fact that he brought dragons into their village—their haven—must have ticked them off.

He ignored the nasty ones, and proceeded to socialize with his generation instead. There he met Hazel's circle of friends, which vaguely reminded him of the temporary friends he had back at Berk. A rowdy bunch they were, the people of Berk.

Hazel's friends were friendly enough, and Hiccup could even remember some of their appearances.

There was Kootra, a mischievous young boy with a wicked smile and a playful attitude. He had shortly cropped brown hair, and jet black eyes. He wasn't that tall, but he stood up with confidence.

Next up was Sherry. She was an amazing girl with long, black hair and magnificent eyes that made you want to look at them for days. She was very flirty though, and Hiccup tended to accept her flattery with joy.

The other three were Hogger, Jack and Kennel. They didn't particularly stand out from the rest, and that was probably the reason why Hiccup did not remember much from them. Aside from the fact that they always went out as a group, Hiccup couldn't tell the difference.

Kootra tried to teach Hiccup archery, and we all know how that would end up. Hiccup almost—ALMOST!—hit Hazel with an arrow, barely missing her head by an inch, and that ended his career as an Archer.

Sherry tried to teach him how to use a knife, but ended up babbling random things about Hazel. According to Sherry, Hazel wasn't much of a social type, and was usually found in the back of the group staring at the sun, or letting her mind wander off endlessly.

"She did have this thing for living creatures, though, and how they should be respected" Hiccup recalled her saying. "If you ask me, it was nonsense because she never really did have the courage to try anything."

"Until she met you."

Hiccup remembered trying to defend himself that he and Hazel weren't a couple or a pair, but he knew that he could not win against this type of girl. Damn, Sherry was oppressive. So he ended up giving in, and Sherry gave him this long speech about how special Hazel is, and how he should treat her nicely.

"Yeah, I know." Hiccup recalled himself saying.

"You better not let her down." Sherry replied back at him, her tone, firm and steady.

Hiccup took himself away from his contemplation, and brought himself back to the real world, where he was continuing his brisk walk towards the town square. He smiled, remembering the days he had spent on this island, and all the joy it brought to him.

It's going to be a shame that he would have to leave soon; it truly was a wonderful place, but there was work to be done elsewhere, and he needed to sort out the true meaning of the stone. He was itching to find out what was in store for him, other cultures, civilizations, just waiting to be discovered.

He soon found himself standing in the middle of the town square, beside the well in the center, and looked to the people that were continuing their daily activities just as they would if he was not there. He studied them carefully, and noticed the reappearing emblem that was marked on the townsfolk's tunics or dresses.

He stared one of the adult villager's dresses, his eyes booming with curiosity.

The emblem was very familiar to him, as if he had seen it somewhere. It was shaped in a circle, with white dyes covering most of it. A black figure tore through the middle of the emblem. It seemed to have wings, and—from what he could make out—green eyes.

He tried to examine it further but the lady, who finished chatting with her friend, walked in the opposite direction, leaving Hiccup to stare at her back.

"Hiccup?" said a feminine voice. "What were you staring at?"

Hiccup turned his head to the side, and saw Sherry's bright face smirking at him. He assumed he was getting red, and turned away. "Nothing."

"Oh, really?" Sherry replied back at him. "I don't suppose that you were staring at Maria's behind?"

"Who?" Hiccup looked backed to her, now with slight interest.

"My older sister." Sherry said, trying to hide a giggle. Hiccup's face immediately began to turn red, and he turned his face to the side once more, only this time, faster.

"Oh…" Hiccup said softly. "Well, actually, I was looking at the emblem that was on her dress."

"So you were staring at her boob?" Sherry said and let out a tiny laugh, being unable to control it.

"NO, NO, NO!" Hiccup said. "Cut it out, will you?"

"Alright, alright." Sherry said, and suppressed her laughter. "So you want to know about the emblem, huh?"

"Yeah."

Sherry was silent for a moment; Hiccup assumed she was thinking about what to tell him. "Well, let's just say that she believes in you." Sherry said. "She thinks you're going to change the world, and made that emblem in that sense."

"I didn't know that people supported me here…" Hiccup said. "Most of the adults sneer me, and give me disapproving looks."

"Some just probably don't want to admit it, Hiccup."

"Hmmm…" Hiccup said, and clouds of thought started to form in his head, like stars that he could not fathom in constellations.

"Sherry!" Maria, who was on the far end of the town square, near the townhouses, called out to her, waving happily as she smiled. "Come here! I have something that I want to show you!" She gestured for Sherry to come, and turned her back to enter the house.

"I guess that's my cue." Sherry said. "It was nice talking to you, Hiccup." She then ran off in the direction of the house.

"Yeah, you too." Hiccup said softly. He did not think that Sherry had heard his response. She looked back at him, and smiled. Hiccup returned the smile, and watched her open her door and enter the house.

'_They…they believe in me?' _ Hiccup couldn't take it in. No one ever believes in him. The people on Berk have already determined the fact that he was destined for failure. He can never become a real Viking, they said.

'_That's impossible…even for a small village like this one; there isn't a person that had believed in me.' _

'_Or even trusted me…well, except for Toothless, of course.'_

A tiny voice, faint but clear, spoke to him as he put his thoughts together. Think deeper, you're still missing a few more, it said. Approvingly, Hiccup thought harder, and after a minimal period of time, found his answer.

'_Hazel.' _He thought. '_Hazel believed in me, she trusted me…with the dragons, with everything!' _Hiccup's mood started to lighten up, knowing that there were people who had faith in him. _'She risked her life; she took the chance, to get to know me.'_

'_So I guess I'd have to thank her for that later.'_

* * *

Astrid's right arm healed up fine, and the parts of the ship were finished and were being moved to the dock. The sun was pretty low in the sky, and Astrid caught Fishlegs at the side of her eye. He was having a hard time carrying the wood.

She stared at him, and observed his movements when she remembered something, but the memory wasn't too clear.

The day she fell off the rocky wall in the cove was all just a blur to her now. Fishlegs came back early on the following day, the sun being barely above the sea, and was surprised to see that Astrid's arm had bled itself dry. He was terrified, and was put into a state of panic, until Astrid, who was lying down on the grass, talked him out of his state.

Fishlegs was a pretty good healer, actually. After he regained his composure, he rushed back to the village and got some herbs and bandages to patch up Astrid's arm. It took quite some time for him to make up a reason to take the supplies, but he managed. He also took the liberty of bringing back some fish and bread in a woven basket.

By the time he got back to the cove, the sun was up in the sky. He climbed down the wall with haste, trying not to fall down due to his enormous body weight. After he carefully climbed down, he immediately rushed to Astrid, and applied the medicine.

It took quite some time to get the herbs on properly, because of Astrid's constant complaining of how painful the herbs were. After the appliance, he bandaged her arm, and helped her up to her feet.

Yup, Astrid would admit that if Fishlegs hadn't come back on the next day, her arm would have deteriorated into an ugly state, and luckily he did.

Astrid snapped herself back into reality, and walked over to where Fishlegs was standing.

"Need help with that?" She said to Fishlegs.

"No…" He said softly in reply. "I got this."

Astrid saw the need to help, and as the large wooden plank fell out of Fishlegs' hands, she picked it up. "Here" She said. "I can't believe that we're almost about to set sail."

"Yeah," Fishlegs said. "But it's one week till the end of your exile…shouldn't we wait for it to end?"

"No." She replied. "We've got to search for Hiccup…and besides, Stoic wound not approve of this journey."

"True." Fishlegs said. "I'm pretty sure he's taking it hard on himself."

"Yeah…" Astrid said. "But we've still got a job to do."

"Hiccup was a fraud, a cheater." Astrid stated, this time, her voice affirmed itself. "He was nothing more than that, and I have to prove to Stoic that I didn't drive him away."

"Well…" Fishlegs played with his fingers.

"He wanted to leave." Astrid said firmly. "And if I'm ever going to bring back honor and dignity to my name, I'm going to have to bring him back."

"Hey, Astrid!" Snotlout called out from the entrance of the cove. "All the parts have been moved…well, except that one." Fishlegs rolled his eyes at the comment. "We can start putting the pieces by first light, tomorrow."

"Great." Astrid replied, and smiled at him wildly. "Thanks, Snot."

He smiled back at her. "I take it that you're getting the supplies?" Astrid looked back at him blankly, and after a moment or two, he got the message. "Oh, right…" He replied. "Fish?"

"Yeah, sure." Fishlegs said dryly.

"Thanks." Snotlout said, and smiled. "I hope his is going to be one hell of a journey, 'Strid."

"Yes, 'Lout." Astrid replied back playfully, and looked to Fishlegs. "I will make sure of it."

**A/N:**

_So, how did you guys find this chapter? Did it lack Astrid's point of view? Did you like how Hiccup's reacted to Sherry's comments? Or did you just flat out dislike the chapter?_

_Please leave a review! I would really love to hear from the readers of this story._

_Ravenblack_


	17. Chapter 17: Here we come!

**A/N: **

_Hey everyone! I would have liked to get this chapter out earlier but I had a lot of projects to work on. One of them was to write a story based on historical fiction! Cool, right? So yeah, I wrote about Vasco da Gama and those pesky sea creatures near Africa (I imagined them as Scauldrons from the Httyd book!)_

_Okay, so enough of me. Please enjoy this chapter! Do not forget to review!_

**Chapter 17: Here we come!**

The sun was a dim ball of light, only slightly above the raging seas. The sky was angelic, shining with an orange glow. Small creatures like squirrels and rabbits scurried to their homes. They were finished with their daily activities, and wanted a good day's rest. But they were not the only ones finishing up.

"Well, finally!" Astrid announced. Her face was drenched in sweat, and her bangs fell in front of her face. She flicked them to the side, and flashed a smile to her crew, which had been working extremely hard to finish preparations. "Good job everyone!" She rubbed her burning eyes with a piece of cloth, and dropped it. "Oh, and good job, Fish." She smiled at him. "You pretty much gathered the supplies. We just placed them in the barrels."

The cove, well, it was a huge mess. Wooden planks and used toolkits littered the once bright-and-lively grass. The rock formations, one in particular, was carved out. A complex brown parchment was being pinned to the formation. It seemed to be a checklist.

"Thanks, Astrid!" Fishlegs said brightly, and wiped his sweaty face on the side of his tunic. Come to think of it, everyone was drenched in hot, sticky sweat. "Yeah, Astrid." Snotlout said, crossing his arms. "So I'm guessing that we leave tomorrow?"

"Correct." Astrid replied. She raised an eyebrow and took a quick glance at the little group, which was now forming a circle around her. "I assume that you've made up some guidelines on how to man a ship?" She turned her head, and playfully glared at Fishlegs. The others followed her lead. "Of course!" Fishlegs said proudly. "Everything noted from the weapons to the sails prepped and ready to go, Cap!"

"We've got weapons?!" Ruffnut shouted. She seemed pretty surprised.

"Great." Astrid said, smiling. "Yeah! This is going to be so awesome, dude!" Tuffnut exclaimed, and high-fived Snotlout. It took them almost two months to prepare for this voyage, and she could not help but feel excited about it. '_Two long months'_ She thought. '_All that time…'_ Snotlout and the others seemed to be pretty excited about it, too.

As the captain of their little crew, she was proud. Proud of her crew, proud of each and every one of them. Every single one from the obnoxious Snotlout to the irritating twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut. She was mostly delighted with Fishlegs' help in all of this. Without him, the completion of the ship would have not been possible.

Astrid turned her head around, and saw that the sun was going down pretty fast. "Y'all should go home now." She said, turning around. "It's getting pretty late, and you guys need the rest." She clapped her hands together and they all started to slowly move out.

Everyone but the chubby man in the center walked away. "Hmmm," Fishlegs murmured to himself. His expression changes when he thinks, and Astrid noticed the change immediately. "What is it, Fishy?" Fishlegs did not respond, and continued pondering. "GET YOUR BUTT OUT OF MY FACE!" Tuffnut shouted in the distance.

Astrid looked past Fishlegs shoulder and saw Ruffnut sitting on a portion of Tuffnut's face. "WELL, MAYBE IF YOU KEPT YOUR MOUTH SHUT, I WOULD HAVE NEVER FALLEN IN THE FIRST PLACE!" She countered back at him. _'Gods, they're at it again.'_

Astrid turned her attention back to Fishlegs. "Hello? Anyone there?" She asked with a clueless look on her face. Fishlegs was still out, and Astrid resorted to crude methods. She gently—well, gently by her standards—knocked on his head.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Astrid." Fishlegs said, and rubbed his head. "Was just calculating the possibilities."

"Possibilities of what, Fish?" Astrid asked. Fishlegs did not answer. Astrid let her eyes drift off, and saw Ruffnut in the distance. Well, at least they finally got out of the cove. She looked back at Fishlegs. "Well?"

"Uhm, you see, Astrid." Fishlegs said shakily. "The chances of finding Hiccup are quite slim."

"So?" Astrid said, and furrowed her brow. "Your point is?"

"What is your real reason?"

* * *

The next day came pretty quickly.

The sun was barely above the sea, as the teens got out of bed. The dim light aided them in their escapade. Ruffnut and Tuffnut grabbed their sacks from under their beds, Snotlout climbed his wooden cabinet and slung his satchel, and Fishlegs opened a small hatch in the middle of his room, and grabbed a humungous backpack. They tried to be as sneaky as possible, and each one left a note on their parent's bedside.

After, they exited their homes. Fishlegs opened the main door quietly—though his huge body caused quite a racket. Snotlout passed through the back door, and Ruff and Tuff exited through a small window near the front of their large house.

After the successful get away from their homes, they met near the entrance to the woods. Smiling, Snotlout said: "Let's do this." And they ran into the woods filled with excitement and anticipation.

The group ran past long vines and thick bushes. They jumped over fallen trees with great agility, that is to say, without Fishlegs, who had slowed them down for most parts. They came to the entrance of the cove, and Ruffnut peered in for a quick check. The barrels were gone, so she must have carried them on board the ship already. "Damn, she moved the barrels!" Ruffnut said, and turned back to face the others.

"Damn you, Astrid." Snotlout said. "You always take it on yourself." He then continued to run, and the others followed him. "Come on, we can't let Astrid do all that." He said under his breath. "That's a man's job."

As they ran towards the coast, Fishlegs started to complain. "Guys," He said, exhausted. "Shouldn't we conserve our energy for the trip?" He bent down, panting, and tried to catch his breath. The gang stopped, and looked at him. Snotlout smiled, and continued to run. The others followed.

"Aw, come on, Fish!" Tuffnut exclaimed, and ran. "We should pump ourselves for the trip!" He shouted in the distance. "I disagree." Fishlegs said, and started to jog.

The path had become smoother now, and it was much easy to traverse. His shirt was wet with sweat, and his face was full of it. He was tired, and could not wait to get on board the ship. "Ugh." Fishlegs groaned. "It should be around the corner…"

He turned, passed through a cover of vines, and found himself now standing on a massive cliff. Birds flew in the air, and the wide sea was roared in front of him. He scanned the sea, but could not find any sign of a ship. Not to his surprise, he couldn't see any land either. He was just about to make the conclusion that he had taken a wrong turn when a voice called out to him.

"Fishy!" Astrid shouted. He couldn't pinpoint where the voice was coming from, so he franticly searched behind him. "Down here, silly!" She called out to him.

Fishlegs mustered all the guts in his huge body, and walked over to the edge of the cliff. He was afraid of heights, and was scared of looking down. "Oh, would you look down!" Snotlout shouted. Pressured, Fishlegs took a quick peek.

"The-that's a long way down." He murmured, and covered his eyes. "WHAT?" Astrid shouted back. The sound of the roaring sea had overpowered most of his voice. "I said," Fishlegs' volume had increased. "THAT'S A LONG WAY DOWN!"

"Okay!" Astrid shouted. This time, her hands were now cupped around her mouth. Something she discovered due to her time in the cove. Oh, yes, she had a lot of idle time in there. "There's a ladder beside you!"

"WHAT!" Fishlegs tried to make out the words. It was becoming seemingly hard to decipher, so Fishlegs resorted to hand gestures. Astrid did the same. She gestured her hand to the left, and turned her head in the same direction.

It took some time for Fishlegs to find the thing she was pointing at, but eventually he did. He climbed down the ladder, which was connected to the boat, slowly. He tried not to look down. "Don't look down…Do not look down." He said to himself halfway through the climb. It truly was hard to resist looking down.

After what seemed to be an eternity, he made it on board the ship. The ship was just like he pictured it. Well, they finished it two days ago, so there was a lot to picture.

It was a medium sized ship by Viking standards. It was shaped like the traditional ships, too. It had a large deck, 2 huge sails, and a few rowing paddles. The only thing that separated this ship from the rest of the Viking's was the level of mechanism in it. All you had to do to row the boat was to have one person turn a large, wooden wheel. The sails would move automatically, too. Just with a push of a button, the sails would turn left or right. It was something that the Vikings had not thought of yet. And you know who designed the ship? Yeah, that's right. Hiccup did. Fishlegs was able to retrieve some of the blueprints Hiccup left in the forge, and modeled the ship after his designs.

"Oh, wow…" Ruffnut said. "That went better than I expected."

"What went better?" Fishlegs said curiously. "Uhm, you climbing down the ladder?" Ruffnut replied.

"Well, I thought the ladder would break." Snotlout said. "I thought you would lose your footing and fall face first into the boat." Tuffnut said. "I imagined that we would have to go up there and help him." Ruffnut contributed. The gang chuckled at the thought.

"Right." Fishlegs said sarcastically. "Just get to your posts, and let's get this ship moving."

* * *

Astrid took control of the wheel; Fishlegs was the go-to guy for any problems, and the person in charge of the sails; Snotlout and Tuffnut were assigned to paddle duty; and Ruffnut would be up high, spotting any land for them to land on.

They have been sailing for about three hours now. The sun was now high in the sky, and the waves were starting to rock the ship even more. The weather, though, was perfect. Mild temperatures and clear skies, the gang was joyously relaxing on the deck.

Everyone was in a chill state of mind. Well, everyone but Astrid.

Astrid sat down in front of the main wheel. It was pretty odd for her to leave Berk. It would mean that she would be disappointing her parents, and she really did not like disappointing her parents. Every single day of her life was dedicated to making them proud. Why did she just throw it all away?

'_No, no, no…_' She thought. '_I'm here to prove to Berk that Hiccup was a traitor._'

She gazed at the magnificent, blue sky. Somehow, she still needed to keep reminding herself of her motives. Why? Why was the need still present? Had her motives changed? _'No, I'm here…I'm here to find Hiccup.'_

It was all so mind boggling to her. She knew it was wrong to give dragons a chance. Those dragons should be killed on the spot. Dragons were their enemies. Vikings died because of them! Yet, she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to…befriend one. She wondered how it would be like to fly on one.

She shook the thought away. It was too much for her to think of at the moment. There was still so much for her to deal with, so much to figure out. She still had to find out how they were going to actually find Hiccup, and how they were going to bring him back to Berk. '_Ugh'_ she thought. '_He's such a pain._'

Astrid got up from her sitting pose lazily. She scanned the ship, and found Fishlegs sitting down in a large wooden chair, trying to set us on a concrete course. He seemed to be very, very frustrated, and was constantly raising his brows.

Astrid, seeing his difficulty, approached him. "Hey Fishy," She said, and pulled the map down. "How are we doing?"

"Well, actually," He pulled up the map again. His eyes started to dart across the wide map. "We are just a few days off the coast of Thoughtful." He said, bringing the map down.

"Thoughtful?" Astrid asked quirkily. "What kind of name is Thoughtful?" She mocked, and let out a laugh.

"Uhm…" Fishlegs replied. "Well, it's almost about the size of Berk, and it's got rich vegetation and animal life." '_So he did do his research._' Astrid thought. _'This would have been so hard without him.'_

"Sounds like a good place to dock." Astrid stated. "How about the people? Are they friendly?" Fishlegs nodded at her. "Yup!"

"How friendly?" Astrid's spirits were uplifted. "Well, they speak Norse." Fishlegs said. "That all?" Astrid replied. "Yeah," Fishlegs said. "But hey, don't worry about it. I'm sure they'll cater to us."

'_Or not…'_

Astrid just hoped that they would cater to them. They would have a problem if they didn't. "Anything new with the pests?" She crossed her arms, and made a striking pose.

Fishlegs paused for a moment, and spoke. "Unfortunately, yes." Fishlegs said. "Not as bad as Berk's though."

'_At least there is something good about it.'_

"That's great." Astrid said. "Any chance that we might find Hiccup there?" She raised an eyebrow, and glared at him. It was the serious-faced-super-determined glare.

"Well, judging by the size, the populous, th—" Fishlegs was cut off by Astrid, who glared at him like she was saying: _ 'Get to the main point already!'_

"Yeah." Fishlegs said. "Most likely."

* * *

**A/N: **

_Meh! Sorry I had to end this chapter so abruptly. I'm just about to leave for my Chinese classes and I really, really wanted to get this out to you guys. Anyways, I will try to get out the next chapter in 5 days. No promises though!_

_Ravenblack_


	18. Chapter 18: Love

**A/N**: _Okay, going on Vacation!_

_So, as the author's title—or whatever you're going to call it—states, I'm going to be leaving for a bit. I won't be able to write anything for about 3 days which might cause to an even later upload. Sorry._

_Anyways, I really, really loved writing this chapter, so please enjoy it! Oh, and don't forget to review. =D_

**Chapter 18: Love**

Hazel moved in closer, and turned her head to the side.

She saw Hiccup, a daring and brave boy who would do anything to keep her safe, by her side. The wind was in her face, its fingers curling up and going through her hair. She then looked down at the roaring sea, and then glanced at the busy island of Thoughtful.

What had once been a dragon exterminating company had now been turned into a dragon loving community. Hazel had no one else to thank but Hiccup. She was, and always will be, truly in his debt.

Hazel pulled her coat closer. The cold air was starting to get to her. "Hey, Hazel." Hiccup said, his eyes fixed on the horizon. "Yeah?" Hazel replied back.

"I'm sorry." Hiccup apologized to her? What for? She racked her brain for anything Hiccup had done wrong. "What for, Hiccup?" She asked, clearly puzzled by his apology.

"Well, I'm leaving you the responsibility of helping your village with the dragons." Hiccup turned his head to the side, his face was serious. "Not even I could convince my village to accept dragons." He said it with distaste, and took a sudden interest in his riding harness.

Hazel looked at him, trying to deduce something out of his words. Finally, when she could not find a reasonable theory, she asked. "What happened, Hiccup?" Her eyes were stunning in the morning light; the sun practically seemed to make them heavenly.

Hiccup paused for a moment. '_A touchy subject…' _Hazel thought, and allowed him some time to think. After what could be perceived as an eternity, Hiccup spoke. "Back in the island of Berk, my home," He said softly, like he remembered it as a bittersweet period. "I was a loser."

Hazel was shocked. How could such a person be dubbed as a loser? How could such a fine boy be considered as such?

"Nobody liked me. Practically everybody made fun of me." Hiccup patted Toothless head. Toothless knew what this was about, and he surely did not like it. "Hazel…" He spoke softly. "I was an outcast."

Hazel did not speak; instead, she just sympathized over Hiccup's story. "There was this one time, though, where I was accepted." He said. "After I met Toothless, I figured out some tricks that made me…popular due to my victories in Dragon Fighting."

"I knew it wouldn't last." Hiccup said bitterly, and looked at Hazel, face buried in emotion. It was like he never told this story to anyone. '_Why me…why is he telling this to me._' "Someone found out."

"She tried to kill me. Decapitate one of my limbs." Okay, that made Hazel angry. Who would hurt Hiccup? Seriously. He was just too lovable for that. "Toothless saved me…and that night, we left Berk."

It was Hazel's turn to speak, but she couldn't find anything to say. "I see." She finally got out. It had come out much softer than she had expected. "Anyways, you left." She reminded. "Look what good it did you!" Okay, now she was trying to cheer him up. It seemed like the memory always haunted him. "You've influenced a whole village about Dragons! Isn't that great?"

"Yeah," Hiccup said. His face looked like it was calculating something. '_What's he thinking about?' _Hazel thought. "Problem is," He turned his face to meet Hazel's eyes. "The conversion seemed far too easy. Something, something's not right."

"Hiccup," Hazel said comfortingly. "Maybe the people of Thoughtful aren't the same as Berk." She studied him, and she could tell he was worried. She could tell that he feared for her safety. "Maybe we're different, Hiccup."

Hiccup was still thinking. '_What the hell are you thinking, Hiccup?!' _Hazel thought, but couldn't muster up the confidence to ask him. "Maybe." He said. "If anything suspicious happens, just… leave."

Hazel knew he was worried, and decided to agree to his request. "Anyways," Hiccup said brightly. "What do you want to do?"

'_Did that boy just suddenly change his mood?_' Hazel thought. '_What a kid._' Her little avatar inside her head did a somersault and laughed.

"How about we lose sight of the village for once?" Hazel smirked at him, and Hiccup smiled warmly back at her. "You ready for it?" His body melted with Toothless', and he changed his footing to switch gears. Toothless let out a loud roar, and together, they plunged towards the sea, Hiccup yelling: "Whoohoo! Yeah, let's go, Buddy!"

Hazel and Evergreen followed them, though not at the speed of the first pair. The wind was blowing in her face, and her hair was whirling around everyone. Hazel too was yelling, and Evergreen let out a loud roar herself. Yeah, she was happy.

After a very, very short period of time, Hiccup and Toothless reached the surface of the water. Toothless would occasionally submerged on winged for a second, and lift it up. Hazel and Evergreen, who were trying—note to self: Trying!—to keep up with Hiccup and Toothless got sprayed with a nice dose of seawater.

'_Curse that Hiccup'_ Hazel happily thought to herself, and signaled Evergreen to go faster. Evergreen understood perfectly, and the dynamic duo picked up speed. They were gliding along the surface of the water; the sounds of the roaring sea filled their ears.

Hiccup allowed himself to slow down, and Hazel caught up with him. Hiccup and Toothless looked at their first trainees with pride. They truly have grown in the last few weeks. "I hope you can keep up." Hiccup teased, and once again, switched gears. This time, he and Toothless took to the clouds in a dazzling fashion combined with speed and grace.

"Real smart, Hiccup!" Hazel yelled at him playfully. She knew Evergreen's weaknesses and so did Hiccup. Although Evergreen was strong, sturdy and quick, what the ArrowJaw lacked was maneuverability. So, it would take her sometime to switch formations.

Hiccup and Toothless flew faster than any ship—actually, anything Hazel ever seen in her life—and was by far, the fastest pair of human and dragon to ever fly the skies.

They—Hiccup and Toothless—flew straight into a cloud, disappearing from Hazel's view. At this moment, Hazel and Evergreen were still climbing. '_I wonder what flying into a cloud feels like…' _Hazel thought. _'Come to think of it, I've actually stayed away from clouds the whole time!'_

Hazel and Evergreen flew into the cloud. It was Hazel's first time into one, and she couldn't be more frightened or excited. Being inside a cloud was like two emotions battling for supremacy. She could not tell where she was going, nor could she tell where it could take her. But the light, puffy of the cloud made it all better. The puffiness—if that's an actual word—made her feel safe.

Call her weird, but it did.

When they finally burst out of the cloud, they found themselves above the cloud line. Hiccup was waiting for them impatiently. "That slow?" He said in a serious tone, and looked pretty pissed off.

Hazel could not understand why he was so ticked off all of a sudden. "What?" She asked. Hiccup said nothing. Instead, he just flashed his crooked, signature smile. "Gotcha." He said, and Toothless smiled at them too.

"You're such a kid." Hazel said playfully, and smiled back at him. For a second there, she actually believed him. The sun's rays were now shining on their faces, melting away the cold feeling in the air.

"Hey," Hiccup said. "Want to try something?" He had a mischievous smile played on his face, and something told Hazel this wasn't going to be fun. But hey, its Hiccup's last day on Thoughtful so why not. "Sure."

"Jump." Hiccup replied immediately, shocking Hazel with his response.

"You want me to—what?!" Hazel shouted back at him. '_Seriously, Hiccup?'_ Hazel thought. '_Damn you're daring.' _"Is this seriously your idea of fun?" She asked nervously, and tried to force a smile.

"Yup!" He said, laughing at her. "Come on, have a little faith in Evergreen." He said with a devilish smile. "Don't worry, she'll catch you. Right, Green?" Evergreen smiled at him, and nodded her head.

Was Hazel the only one worried about this? "Come on, Haze." Hiccup said. "I'll jump with you if you want." He smiled at her reassuringly.

Hazel thought it over for a bit. What if Evergreen doesn't catch me? What if she's too slow? How will I know that I won't die? "Trust her." Hiccup said, as if he read Hazel's mind.

Hazel let out a loud sigh. "Alright." She said, and sat on the edge of Evergreen's back. She looked down at the raging clouds. Lucky for her, she didn't see the sea, for that was sure to make her even more frightened. She observed the clouds. So free.

She turned to Hiccup, who was now in arms reach. "You better jump with me." She said. "I'm going to kill you if you don't."

"Yeah, yeah." Hiccup said casually, like it this "stunt" didn't mean anything to him anymore. He must have done this a lot of times in the past. "Oh by the way," He said. "We're going to have to pick up speed first, so you're going to have to ride Evergreen, and when I say go, we jump in front of them. Alright?"

"Uhm…" Hazel said indecisively. "Okay."

Hazel positioned herself so that it would be easy for her to jump. Surprisingly, Evergreen already knew the plan. Maybe she had done it with Hiccup before? Hazel did not know. "Let's go." Hiccup said.

Together, Hiccup and Hazel, along with their dragons flew forward, the clouds waiting below them. After picking up a decent amount of speed, Hiccup started to count down. "3!" He announced. "2!" Hazel's heart felt like it was about to pop with nervousness. "1!" Hiccup removed his foot from the pedal, and Toothless' wing had already clutched.

'_Oh gods…here it comes.' _She thought.

"Jump!" Hiccup shouted. Together, Hiccup and Hazel jumped down, towards the clouds. They were upside down, falling head first. Now, Hazel's heart seemed to leave her body, along with her head. She panicked.

Hazel was waving her arms, franticly trying to gain altitude. She went crazy, and after they passed the layer of clouds she noticed that Hiccup was closing his eyes. He wasn't panicking at all. It was like he had full trust that Toothless would be there.

A few seconds after they breached the layer, Toothless and Evergreen came to their sides. They too were falling beside them. Hiccup took a small peak, and saw that Hazel was still thrashing around. He glided himself closer to Hazel, and put his arms around her.

"Hazel." He whispered in her ear. "Calm down. I'm here." Hazel could feel her cheeks flush, but she started to relax. Her body melted with Hiccup's and she started to pay no attention to her surroundings.

The touch of Hiccup's scrawny arms around her was something that she didn't want to forget. His face was close to hers, and she could feel his body heat engulfing her body. She allowed herself to melt with Hiccup's body, and together, they plummeted to the earth.

Toothless and Evergreen were watching excitedly as Hazel turned her head sideways, and crushed her lips against Hiccup's. It did last too long, about two seconds at most, but the feeling was sensational. Hazel would never forget this moment for the rest of her life.

After they broke away, Hazel and Hiccup laughed happily. Hiccup and Hazel looked into each other's eyes. Hiccup's brown eyes stared deep into Hazel's. Hiccup's face was bright red, and so was Hazel's but, Hiccup decided to play it cool. He noticed that they were getting too close to the earth. "See ya." He said, pushed her away, and smiled.

Hazel was pushed towards Evergreen, and Hiccup, to Toothless. Together, they mounted their dragons, and pulled up.

* * *

The sun was burning bright. When Hiccup and Hazel arrived back at Thoughtful, it was lunch time, so they proceeded to the mead hall. Toothless and Evergreen ran to the stables, newly built by the folks of Thoughtful.

Hiccup and Hazel opened the large, wooden door which was one of the distinctive things about mead halls. Inside, they found Aldrich, the leader of the clan, waiting for Hiccup. He was sitting down on a large chair, drinking mead while one of his advisers informed him of their arrival.

"Hiccup!" Aldrich said. Clearly this man was drunk. "We are pleased that you stayed two more days here, will you stay two more?" He said groggily and flashed Hiccup a smile.

"No, Chief." Hiccup responded back politely. "I am truly grateful for the offer, but I must be on my way." Hiccup saw Hazel's face darken, and he felt bad for it. He just could not stay. He really had to find out the meaning of the stone.

"And why is that, Hiccup?" Aldrich asked. "Hmmmm?"

"Well, I cannot keep Toothless grounded. That dragon always wants to explore new places." Hiccup lied. He didn't tell anyone about the stone but Hazel, and he was planning to keep it that way. Maybe, just maybe, he might be able to call Thoughtful his home.

One reason: He actually had real friends here. Hazel, Sherry, and Kootra were pretty much who he knew. And although he wasn't close to any of them—well, except Hazel, of course—they still welcomed him with open arms, and he was thankful for that.

Sherry even tried to give him advice…or was that a warning?

"Mhmmm…" Aldrich said. "Okay then." The poor guy tried to regain his composure, and tried to speak properly. "Anyways, you'll leave at sundown, correct?"

"Yup."

"You better get packing then, ya little runt." Hiccup smiled at the comment. "I'll help him chief." Hazel said. "He better eat first though."

"Nonsense!" Hiccup bellowed, his voice echoing throughout the mead hall. Hazel laughed at his statement. Hiccup ran to the front, got a glass of mead and a hunch of meat, and grabbed Hazel's arm. And together, they happily ran out of the mead hall.

* * *

Sundown came pretty fast that day.

Hiccup was by the docks, ready and prepped to leave on his journey. He took some supplies from the mead hall, packed a few tools that he might use—courtesy of the blacksmith for teaching him how to make saddles—and of course, the letters that everyone gave to him.

Toothless was standing next to him. His riding gear was made lighter and stronger—courtesy of the blacksmith once again—and he was strapped with Hiccup's backup gear like paddles, blueprints and extra leather.

The whole village had come to say goodbye, and Hiccup was busy stuffing letters into his brown satchel. He made a mental note read them all later. Among the crowd, Hiccup recognized some familiar faces.

Aldrich, the leader, obviously stood at the front of the crowd. Hazel stood beside him, and Sherry and Kootra on the opposite side. Hiccup smiled to all of them. In the back, Evergreen, the ArrowJaw, stuck out her tongue, and smiled at him and Toothless.

Everyone finally finished handing out their letters, and Hiccup, seeing this, mounted Toothless. He lodged his foot into the pedal, but didn't shift it just yet. He took one more glance at the people of Thoughtful.

Hazel and Evergreen came forward, and he smiled at them. They had become so close over the last few weeks, and it almost killed him to leave them. "Hey guys," Hiccup said. "I guess this is goodbye, huh."

Hazel stayed silent, and Evergreen smiled at him sadly. "Hey there, Green." Hiccup said reassuringly. "Don't forget me alright?" Hiccup tried to keep his tears back, but his eyes were slowly becoming filled with it. "Take care of your eggs. I want to see some fine babies when I return." Hiccup said playfully, as a tear slid down his face.

Hiccup then turned to Hazel. "Haze—"Hiccup was interrupted when Hazel smashed her body against his. She hugged him tightly, like she wouldn't let go. They stayed that way for a good measure of time, till finally, Hazel pulled away. "I'll miss you." She said, as a tear streamed down her face.

Hiccup wiped the tear away, and held back his. He then took a step back, and stretched his arm out to her. "Hazel Havard," He said. "A pleasure." He shook her hand.

"Same goes for you, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock." She said, and smiled at him. He gave her the flat face, the face that he gave when she forgot something. "The third." Hazel rolled her eyes playfully. "Now get going." She said. "And don't forget to bring me a trophy from wherever you may find yourself."

"Sure thing, Haze." Hiccup said. He took once more glance at the people of Thoughtful. Aldrich was smiling at him, and seemed to be encouraging him. Sherry was smirking at him, but as he met her eyes, became serious and gave him a polite nod. They others, well, they were in a good mood—for Vikings, at least.

"Bye, everyone!" He shouted to them, and then, personally turned to Hazel. "Bye, Hazel." He said, and switched gears into the correct position. Toothless and Hiccup burst out and into the skies, where they were most comfortable with, although Hiccup might have been comfortable with Hazel, too.

"Bye, Hiccup."

* * *

**A/N:**

_Yay! So, how did you guys find the chapter? I feel I did pretty good on this one, and let me tell you, this was a ton of fun to write. Next chapter, CONFRONTATION BETWEEN…_

_Anyways, please review! It would mean the world to me if someone takes a portion of their day to write me a comment whether it is criticism or anything, actually. See you all in a few days!_

_Ravenblack_


	19. Chapter 19: Petty Talk

**A/N**_**:**__ YAY!_

_I finally get to upload something quickly. Well, I did work on this quite a bit. I did have some trouble with the dock scene. I didn't know where to place the facts, so I might have misplaced something. _

_Anyways, please enjoy the story. Oh, and thank you to all those who review the last chapter. REALLY?! 14 Reviews in one chapter? THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE. This really makes me want to write as fast as I can. _

_That's all I got._

_P.S Next chapter is going to be longer than usual since it's the 20th chapter. You can expect a lot more out of that one. =D_

**Chapter 19: Petty Talk**

"Bye, Hiccup."

Hazel could faintly see a small black dot, rising above the clouds. It went higher, higher, and then, suddenly, disappeared. Hazel was really going to miss him.

The young lass turned around, and so did the crowd. The reaction to Hiccup's departure was not surprising. Some folks were sad, some of them, happy. The crowd slowly returned to their homes while some chatter went on throughout the town.

Hazel, accompanied by two of her friends, Evergreen and Sherry, drifted with the crowd. She was about to go into a depressed state. I mean, Hiccup had been there for about two weeks! Maybe more! She would not just let it go that easily, and yet... No, she had to let it go, hoping that one day, he'll return.

"Hazel," Sherry turned to her, and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You alright?" There was a look of sympathy in her eyes. Sherry probably knew what it was like to be left hanging, longing for a friend to return. That was a mere friend, though.

"Yeah." Hazel replied reassuringly, and flashed her Sherry a warm smile. She would not want people to worry now, would she? "I'm sure he'll re—"

Their conversation was rudely interrupted by a loud ring, accompanied by shouts of warning. "Aldrich!" The man on the watchtower called. "We've got a ship approaching the harbor!" Immediately, the village people turned around to look at the spectacle.

Yes, their suspicions were confirmed. From the distance Hazel was at, she could make out that it was one of the largest ships she had ever seen. It seemed to have cannons—wait, what?! Cannons!—mounted on both sides. There were weapons, unfamiliar to Hazel, attached to the front, and some sort of mechanized wheel by the deck.

Hazel ran to the edge, where she could get a better look. Among all the peculiar things that she saw on the ship, one stood out. The ship, although large, was only manned by three—no, five—people. More to say, they were about the same age as Hazel!

The ship came closer and closer. People flocked to the harbor, weapons ready and faces grim. They were already mentally prepared for this moment. The people of Thoughtful, as friendly as they were, had already prepared themselves for war.

As the ship docked, people raised their weapons, aimed sharply at the exit. "Show yourselves!" Aldrich bellowed. "Why are you here?" He yelled, and eyed the ship closer. Hazel could see that he was trying to put on a strong face, even though deep inside, he was afraid.

Seconds passed. The warm glow of the sun was fading, and nightfall would be upon them soon. Whoever these intruders were, they weren't smart to strike at this hour. Too bad they weren't intruders.

A young blonde girl stepped out of the ship, and climbed down to solid land. One hand was behind her back, and the other, held a metal dagger shaped like an arrowhead. Hazel eyed her suspiciously. "Something to hide, miss?" Hazel said nicely, but you could tell the aggression in her tone.

"Nothing." The blonde rasped. In the little time Hazel made contact with her, she knew that this one did not like to give up. With a look of distaste, the blonde carefully slid her arm out. Weapons were raised in preparation.

Surprisingly, instead of a weapon, a small white flag was showed. It was plain and simple, no designs or anything of the sort. Hazel furrowed her brow. Was this an elaborate trick to deceive the village? Or was it something that she never understood?

No one spoke. No one moved a muscle. Only the faint rustling of trees in the distance sounded throughout the village. "Hmph." Aldrich, whose head was raised low at the time, held his chin high. "Put your weapons down. They will not harm us." He said.

A relieved sigh escaped the mouths of the villages, but they stood in their places, wanting to see what the foreigners wanted to do with their island. Aldrich stepped forward, and confronted the foreigners, but before speaking, turned his head back.

"Back to your homes." He barked. "All of you." With disappointed sighs, they crowd returned to their respective homes, leaving Aldrich and that blonde girl alone. Well, not really alone. Aldrich could not force Hazel and her friends to leave, stubborn as they were. "Fine." Aldrich rasped. "Don't do anything stupid."

He turned his back on them, and walked towards the blonde. "Hi," She said politely. "I'm Astrid. We're from Berk." _Pfft, what a weird name—wait a second, Berk? Wasn't that Hiccup's home island? _Astrid stretched her arm out. Aldrich shook it reluctantly. _She was the one that drove Hiccup away…Wait, is she the one who tried to decapitate him?_

"Pleasure." Aldrich replied. "Chief Aldrich of Thoughtful." He introduced himself with pride. No surprise there.

"Ah, yes." He said quizzically. "What brings you to Thoughtful?"

_I'm not getting good vibes from these people. _Hazel thought. She was getting agitated for some reason. Maybe it was because she knew something about them? Or maybe it was just her protective Hiccup senses tingling. _Oh wait, he isn't here anymore…_

Suddenly, a large, fat—_fine, let's not say fat. Uhm, Blubbery!—_boy materialized beside Astrid. "Hi, sir!" He exclaimed. He was dressed in a large blue tunic, fur coat, and hiking boots. Hazel could see that he was sweating in every corner of his body. Poor guy, he seemed pretty nervous.

"We're just here to look for a…uhm…boy. Yeah! A young boy!" He stated. "He's not too tall. He's really skinny, wears a green tunic, messy hair, OH." He paused for a moment, and took sudden interest in the wooden flooring beneath. "He rides a dragon who he calls…Uhm." He tapped his head, trying to remember what the dragon's name was. _This confirms my suspicions._

"Uhhh…" Okay, Hazel got pretty ticked off. I mean, who wouldn't remember the name of a scary, threatening—but cuddly!—Night Fury such as Toothless. As the boy paced around the dock in an attempt to jog back his memory, Hazel started tapping her foot, showing that she was getting impatient.

"Uhhhh…" The boy started off again. '_This is really starting to piss me.'_ Hazel rolled her eyes. A few more "uhhhh's" went in the background, while 3 more youngsters got off the ship. When all of them were on the dock, they approached the blonde, and stood beside her. Maybe it was another plan? Or maybe he was really that forgetful?

"Uhm…" He said. "Right…"

Hazel, unable to listen to more of his "Uhhhh's" spoke, and when she did, it was barely controlled. "You mean Toothless, right?" She said, the hint of annoyance in her tone was strong, and she stopped tapping her foot, and put on her serious face.

Immediately after, the blonde rushed to her, pushing aside the blubbery boy. "Where is he?!" Astrid's face was starting to pale, as beads of sweat slid down her face. She shook Hazel's shoulder's demanding for an answer.

"He's gone." Hazel said, smirking. Amidst the sweat and paleness, Hazel could see something—something that could potentially harm her. "He just left." She flipped her bangs to the side, and gave Astrid an evil eye. "Your boyfriend, I suppose?" _Oh Thor, now she was starting to have fun._

Astrid quickly regained her composure. "No." She said sternly, and pulled away from the hold. "He broke the sacred Viking code. We're just here to retrieve hi—is that a dragon?!" Astrid suddenly raised her dagger, readying herself to fight. The other boy didn't move a muscle, though. Evergreen merely huffed at her, proving to the blonde that she was not intimidated.

"Yeah." Hazel shot back. "Is there a problem?" Hazel took a step forward. It was a good attempt to intimidate Astrid. Not good enough, though. "Dragons are—" Astrid shot back, but was rudely interrupted by the fat—_okay! I like using the word fat_—Viking.

"It's a clear sign that he's been here." He said, eying Evergreen. Astrid turned back to look at him, and so did the others. They shot him a glare. "I told you my—"Ah, yes. Another interruption. "Shut it, Fish!" Cried the muscular boy in the back.

'_Ugh, don't these Vikings have any manners at all?!'_ Hazel thought. _'I might as well be talking to the pigs.'_

Astrid turned to face Hazel. "Why yes, there is." She too took a step forward, adding flame to the fire. "Dragons, humans. We don't mix. They're just stupid, worthless creatures whose desire is only to kill. Nothing more, nothing less."

Evergreen roared loudly at Astrid, but the blonde did not falter. She looked at the dragon with disgust, as if it was just a mere pest in their daily lives. "Yeah?" Hazel initiated contact. She pushed Astrid rough—gently!—resulting in a little pushing brawl between the two girls. "Who says so?" Hazel said in between their brawl.

"Your mother!" Astrid shot back immediately, and Hazel jumped on her, shouting and screaming. You might ask. What was Aldrich doing all this time? Oh, he was watching the fight ensue, enjoying his little bit of entertainment.

Astrid and Hazel fell on the wooden floor. Hazel tried to claw at Astrid's face, but Astrid quickly rolled over, and tugged on Hazel's hair. Hazel let out a brief scream of pain. But before Astrid could do anymore harm, Sherry and Evergreen intervened, carrying Hazel away from Astrid, who was still trying to claw at her.

"It's glad to know that you've received a warm welcome, Astrid." Aldrich said sarcastically, he let out one brief sigh, and spoke again. "You can stay here for as long as you like. We can accommodate." Hazel was giving Astrid her _I-will-get-back-at-you face _and Astrid looked at her teasingly. "That is, if you don't get into any trouble."

Astrid, followed by her gang, walked over to the chief. "Don't worry, chief." She said politely, and walked past Hazel. "We won't." She stated bitterly as she made a face at Hazel.

"Okay, then." Aldrich said. "Guest houses are that way." He pointed to a small, old looking house by the port beside another one of similar style. _Great, she's living beside me. _

Hazel watched their disgusting group walk away, and enter the house, and finally, when it was safe to speak, Sherry spoke. "You hate them, don't you?" She smiled playfully.

"More than you will ever know."

* * *

"Ugh!" Astrid paced around the room, her pillows thrown from side to side. "She pisses me off so much!"

A small candle, placed on a tiny table, lit up the wide room. There were three beds arranged horizontally, and there was a small kitchen by the door. The windows were shut, convincing Astrid that it was safe to say whatever she wanted.

"You know, Astrid." Snotlout said, obnoxiously. "I think she was just defending Hiccup." He had his back faced against a wall, and his hands were behind his head. Clearly he was too relaxed with this situation. "No," Fishlegs cut in. "She was defending Hiccup's ideals. You know, that dragons are more than what we see them." He was on the bed, and Astrid hoped that it wouldn't break. "But she didn't defend it directly. There was no mention of Hiccup in any of her comebacks."

"The point here is," Astrid bellowed. She was in a bad mood that night, and nobody knew why. "She was defending Hiccup! Nobody should defend Hiccup!"

Not even Astrid knew why she was so frustrated about the matter. "Calm down, Astrid." Fishlegs said, getting up from the bed, causing it to make a loud creak.

"You know that's going to break if you lie there one more time, Fish." Tuffnut commented. "Shut up. It's not like I want to break it or anything." "Yeah?" "Yup…"

Here we go again. Their constant bickering somewhat calmed Astrid down, and she slowly dropped to the floor, where she leaned against the wall. Why was she so angry? Was it because she was hardwired to kill dragons, and the mere sight of one angered her? Or was it that she saw something in the brunette's eyes?

Astrid put a hand over her face, and closed her eyes. Gods, she had to figure this out, so she sat there, constantly thinking about the matter. '_Ugh, why was he always in her head?_'

She didn't take note of the time, and when she opened her eyes again, everyone was fast asleep. The moonlight dimly illuminated the room, giving off a serene feel to it. She scanned the room.

Fishlegs was sleeping in one bed—no contest there—Snotlout and Tuffnut were in another, and Ruffnut was all by herself. "I guess I'm sleeping beside Ruff tonight…" She took a quick glance at the moon. '_It's so beautiful.' _She thought. '_I wonder how it would be like if I were on…'_

She let the thought slide, and walked towards the bed. She examined Ruffnut's sleeping face. She was snoring loudly, and already Astrid knew that the noise would be a minor—okay, maybe not minor—problem.

She was about to lie down, when she noticed something on the bedside table. It was a small sheet of parchment, balled up into a scroll. She picked it up reluctantly, and opened it.

The note read:

"_Dear Astrid," _

"_It is my pleasure to tell you that there will be a fight cup in two days. I was informed by Aldrich, who came over while you were peacefully sleeping. I didn't want to wake you, so instead, I wrote this letter. _

_He told me that the cup would be held in the arena, where they used to train people how to fight, but now; they've got a bigger one, so they're using the old one. Exciting? Yeah, I know. Thrilling? For you, maybe; but for me? Not so much. _

_Anyways, I'll be off to bed. So tell me what you think in the morning. Oh, and by the way… that girl, the one you dislike so much, is joining. Her name's Hazel, if you wanted to know."_

"Really, Fish?" She laughed, and crawled into her bed. "You didn't have to be that formal." She smiled, and let the crutches of sleep take her.

* * *

**A/N:**

_Hey everyone! Thanks for reading this chapter. I hope it didn't end too abruptly for you. Oh, and for all those who are wondering. IT'S NOT OVER YET. THE WAR HAS MERELY BEGUN._

_That's all. Don't forget to review! And thanks for all the support and love you have given this story. I could not thank you guys enough._

_Ravenblack_


	20. Chapter 20: The Way

**A/N: **_Hey everybody!_

_I am terribly sorry for uploading this chapter extremely late but there have been some roadblocks in my life at the moment. I do hope you understand._

_I do have a lot of cuts in this chapter and I would like to say that this might not be my best chapter… but I did have a lot of fun writing it, so please enjoy!_

_For my friend, Vanroy: I've finally decided that it was time for you to shine! =D_

_Please enjoy the chapter!_

**Chapter 20: The Way**

The sun was a pain, sometimes blinding her, and sometimes, blinding the girl across her. Blood trickled down her cheek as she tried to keep her footing, but her legs, as strong as she would want them to be, we practically shaking. Her heavy breathing came in and out of her ears, and her vision was becoming blurry, causing her to limp, and sometimes, miss her punches.

Unfortunately, she could not say the same for the person across her, who was in a much better shape than she was. She had cuts around her body, whilst her opponent was clean—well, except for the cuts along her cheek— and their weapons, axes and daggers, were scattered on the ground.

"Let's finish this." Hazel said, and charged at Astrid, fists held high.

* * *

The waters beneath them roared loudly, the sun shined brightly, and the wind in his face was refreshing. Hiccup and Toothless had been traveling across the seas for a few days now, and surprisingly, they had not encountered any danger. The occasion dragon would pop up in the distance, but they were never attacked, which led Hiccup to ask if only some islands were under siege.

He pulled out a journal from his satchel, and started to write down his thoughts. _These other dragons do not seem very aggressive. Although, if they are agitated or provoked, they will retaliate with great force, leading me to the conclusion that someone must have done something to enrage the nearby dragons in Berk. _

He knocked on his forehead, racking his brain for possibilities of an incident that could have triggered the dragon siege. But, alas, he couldn't find one.

For the people on Thoughtful, there was a concrete example that they had proven to Hiccup that they attacked dragons, and that was probably the reason why Evergreen was so defensive—well, aside from her eggs.

He turned back a few pages_. Today, I met Hazel. She's a wonderful girl, always full of enthusiasm. I hope we can get along, and I really do hope that she'll learn to appreciate dragons. _

Skipped another few pages. _Evergreen seems to be very friendly, although I would not be too relaxed around her. I have yet to see whether or not she is a threat, but for now, I'll play along. _

One more time. _Goodbye, Berk. You've have been a friend and a foe to me. I do hope the best for your people, and I do hope that Dad finds a better replacement for me. _

He closed the book. "Are you holding up alright, bud?" He patted Toothless' side, feeling the warmth of his body. Hiccup needed that. His hands were shivering from the cold wind, which was expected, since they were so high up.

Toothless roared, not your fierce, threatening one, but a friendly "I-am-fine" one. "Okay then, buddy."

They flew in silence for some time. Hiccup tried to search for land, while Toothless shot some fireballs in the distance. Finally, after Toothless shot his fireball, Hiccup noticed something beneath them.

"Toothless!" He exclaimed, his face full of excitement. The Night Fury seemed confused._ 'What was he so excited about?' _

"Look down there, bud!" Hiccup pointed to a gigantic whirlpool that encompassed the sea. There was a small portion of land across the whirlpool. Toothless started to get excited, too. It was their first time seeing land in a long time. "Let's fly to the whirlpool! I want to take a closer look before we land."

Toothless dropped into a nosedive, heading straight for the whirlpool. As they got closer and closer, Hiccup noticed that the whirlpool had many objects caught in the current. "Hmmm…" He murmured. He could spot meat, bones, and other vile items. "That's gross."

They were now directly above the whirlpool, and stayed put for Hiccup to examine it further. The stench was overwhelming, causing Hiccup to clip his nose. "Come on," Hiccup said. "It stinks here."

No response from Toothless. "Toothless?" Hiccup asked. Strangely, something started to heat up the air around them, and it seemed to be coming from the pair. It kept getting hotter and hotter, and Hiccup soon realized where it was coming from.

But that was the last of his priorities. Hiccup had to get Toothless moving, and he knew that they would be in grave danger if they were to fall here. "Toothless!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. They were still in the air, when suddenly, Toothless' eyelids shut themselves.

Hiccup and Toothless rocketed towards the center of the pool, which seemed to have its own gravitational pull on both of them. The whirlpool came closer and closer.

"Oh, gods…"

* * *

"And the victor is…" A large man was standing behind a wooden podium, overlooking the fight. "Astrid, from Berk!"

The crowd was silent; they were obviously rooting for Hazel. Aldrich held his peculiar gaze towards Astrid, watching her closely. Hazel lay lifeless on the ground, breathing heavily. She had small cuts in some areas, but most were just bruised.

Astrid took one last look at her opponent. She wasn't so tough, her attacks were predictable and her swings weren't strong enough to actually hurt Astrid. Hazel was precise though, she'll hand her that.

Her blows always seemed to end up in the right spots. The power, though, seemed to be her only problem. Astrid, on the other hand, had a nice blend of both. She was obviously more powerful than Hazel but fell back on the accuracy side.

Satisfied with her victory, Astrid walked out of the arena.

"Good job, Astrid!" Snotlout exclaimed as she stepped out. The brutish boy was leaning on the wall, making a confident pose. "You really beat her up bad!"

"Yeah," Astrid smirked, and high fived Snotlout. "She wasn't so tough. I mean…what a weakling!" She let out a content filled laugh, attracting stares from the nearby people. They stared at her with vast emotions, some of which contained pure hatred.

"Come on, 'Lout." Astrid said, trying to keep her voice down. "Let's go back to the guest house."

Snotlout nodded, and started walking along the dirt road. Moments of silence past before someone started the conversation once more.

"Hey, Astrid." Snotlout didn't turn his back. Instead, he raised his arms above his shoulders, resting them on the back portion of his head. "Hmm?" Astrid murmured back. Snotlout asked a ton of questions, but this one had a peculiar tone to it.

"Do you really think we'll find him?" He turned around, stopping in his tracks. Astrid stared at him, puzzled. Snotlout didn't ask questions like this. He usually asked the stupid, non sensible questions. For him to ask something worth a bit of thought was already amazing.

Astrid did not respond immediately. Instead, she stared at him blankly. "Well?" Snotlout raised an eyebrow, and used a tone that Astrid never heard before. "Do you think we'll find Hiccup?"

"Yeah," Astrid answered back quickly—a sign that she was in charge, and that they were to listen to her. "You just have to be patient." She suppressed the mild build up of anger inside her. _Why question me now? When we've gotten this far?_

"Seems to me like it is a hopeless cause…" He stated, and diverted his gaze to the clouds. "And why would you think that?" Astrid responded, now a little ticked off by the scale of his questions.

"Well, for starters, Hiccup rides a Night Fury, one of th—" Snotlout stopped and corrected himself, remembering what Fishlegs told him about Night Furies. "No, THE fastest dragon ever known to Vikings."

"What is your point?" Astrid calmed down a bit, seeing the sense that Snotlout was making.

"My point is: We'll never be able to catch him, if we ever find him that is." Snotlout stepped closer to Astrid. "He rides a god damned Night Fury, for Thor's sake! Even with the new tools we have, we'll never be able to reach the speed he's at."

"Are you scared, Snotlout?" Astrid taunted him—something that usually worked on Snotlout. The boy had an overwhelming sense of bravery, and anything that deprived him of showing it was never turned down.

"No." Snotlout said. "But you too should start thinking a bit more rationally."

He walked away, leaving Astrid to stand there, and think about what he just said. "I need to do this, Snotlout…" She murmured, not loud enough for anyone to hear. "It's necessary."

* * *

Sand.

He felt sand—tiny grains of sand—crawling up his ear. His feet were wet, and his body ached. Nonetheless, he was awake, and was to be thankful for it.

"Ugh…" He tried to open his eyes wider, but each of every part of his vision had blurred. What happened to him? And why was he aching all over?

Slowly, the boy started to get up, pushing himself into a sitting position. The warm breeze touched upon his face, his hair flying in random directions. His nose caught on to the smell of the sea, something he was vastly familiar with.

Suddenly, a sharp pain coursed through his head. He held his head tightly, grasping it around his arms. His efforts to subdue the pain were useless, though, and he fell into unconsciousness once more.

* * *

Hiccup woke up, thrashing.

He rubbed his eyes furiously, knowing that he wasn't on the beach anymore. Rather, he was on a smooth bed, covered by a blanket. He propelled himself forward, bearing the aching pain all over his body.

He wore new clothing: A black-as-the-night leather tunic, its color shaped in a v formation. He had loose grey leggings that seemed to be a little too big for him, and he also sported large, burgundy boots.

He scanned the room. It was a small, wooden room filled with cabinets ranging from all shapes and sizes. Each of the cabinets held specific items like small insects or reptile parts. There was a lab—or so he thought it was a lab because it had large potions and flasks—positioned at one of the room's corners, and there was a large saddle at the other.

_Wait, saddle?_ The piece of leatherwork quickly registered itself in Hiccup's head. _Where is Toothless?!_ He started to piece back his thoughts of their adventures, tracing it back to the time that they were above the whirlpool.

"Oh, gods…" Hiccup pushed aside his covers, ignoring the pain, and rushed towards the door. He was breathing heavily, and his footsteps were dragging. "Stop!" A voice from behind said, just as he started to push the door open. "You're in no condition to find your dragon."

Hiccup turned back to see who was speaking.

She sat in a wooden chair, obstructed from view (from his bed, that's why he couldn't see her) by one of the cabinets. Her long blonde hair—curled at the edges—dangled at her side. Her skin was tanned, and her face was dotted with freckles. She wore a blue, weathered shirt, and a brown skirt that touched her knees. Oddly enough, she wore some type of leather strap on her foot.

Hiccup could feel his face heat up a bit. She seemed pretty fit, too. "Who are you?" He asked, dumbfounded. His heart was pounding, and his palms became sweaty.

"My name's Eliza." She said. Her unique set of features made it hard for Hiccup to concentrate. Her lips were thin; a small scar ran through her bottom lip. "You were pretty bruised up when we found you."

Hiccup paused for a moment, trying to keep himself sane. "We?" He franticly looked around the room once more, as if he missed another figure residing within.

"Yeah," Eliza got up from her chair. As she stood up, Hiccup could see that she was slightly taller than him. "Another person helped me drag you here." Her gray eyes bore into him, as if they were analyzing his every move.

"Who?" Hiccup diverted his gaze to the large cabinets. "Did you take care of me?"

Without warning, the door burst open and a large man came barreling into the room. "Hello y'all!" He bellowed. Eliza, who looked a little ticked off, stared at the large man. "Ah, yes." She said. "Vanroy helped me drag you here."

Vanroy was a large man, probably two heads taller than Hiccup. He had broad shoulders and humungous arms. He had wavy brown hair that fell on his forehead, and hospitable brown eyes. He had rosy cheeks, and a smile that made you feel at home.

"Quite heavy, you were." He said, grinning at Hiccup.

He was wearing armor—not like the ones in Berk—and large boots that were probably used for hunting. Hiccup, seeing the color of the metal, assumed that his armor was made from bronze. It had sea blue markings painted on various areas though; one of which was the center that had a tattoo of an angler on it.

A sword hung from his side, and his boots were covered in mud. "The name is Vanroy." He stated proudly. "And you are?"

"Hiccup." The smaller male stated. "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third. I'm from Berk."

"Nice to meet you, Hiccup." Vanroy held his hand out, and Hiccup shook it gracefully. "I assume that you've already acquainted yourself with Eliza."

"Yes." Suddenly, the pain in his head started to hurt him once again, and he dropped to one knee.

"Oh dear…" Eliza and Vanroy had anticipated this, and ran over to him. Picking him up and laying him back on the bed, Vanroy instructed Hiccup to stay put till he was better.

"Oh, and Hiccup?" Eliza tucked him in, and put the covers over his frail body. "Your dragon, Toothless, is safe. He just ran off towards the woods—probably just to take some time off." She started walking towards the door.

Hiccup was relieved that his best friend was alright…actually, more than relieved. His eyes became teary with the fact that Toothless made it. He had been so worried. Though, a question made its way to his head. "How did you—"

Eliza smiled at him, and immediately, he stopped talking.

"Don't worry." She closed the door, leaving Hiccup by himself.

* * *

There was barely any light in the sky, as the cold morning air was felt around the human—and dragon—inhabited cove.

"Hey, Hazel." Hiccup grinned at the lovely girl coming towards him, her hips moving in a way that made Hiccup blush. "Ready for training?"

Hazel stretched her arms outward and yawned loudly. "Yep." She grinned back at him; her facial features complemented every bit of her movements. "Does it have to be so early, though?"

"I want you to see something." Hiccup confessed. "It's really beautiful. I'm sure you would love it." He slowly got on Toothless, and strapped himself, ready for flight.

"And what might that be?" Hazel asked, walking towards Evergreen. Unlike Hiccup, she didn't need as much time to prepare for flight.

Hiccup paused for a moment, and pursed his lips. "You'll see when you get there."

Together, they flew high into the sky, towards the cloud layer. The temperature of the air became even colder, and Hiccup had to occasionally tug on his coat. He looked to Hazel, who was beside him, and smiled.

She smiled back at him, and he felt his face heat up. "We're almost there." He stated, and fixed his gaze on the clouds. He didn't want Hazel to see him turn red. She would probably get the wrong idea.

As they burst through the cloud layer, their faces were imbued with a warm light. Slowly, Hiccup and Hazel turned their heads towards the horizon. "Oh my gods…" Hazel commented.

Truly it was a spectacular sight. The sun was rising above the clouds, sending waves of angelic rays towards the Earth, and making the clouds glow in an awesome fashion. Hazel had never seen anything like this in her life, and was truly amazed by the way everything happened.

"This is amazing, Hiccup!" She exclaimed, and turned to see her trainer, master, and best friend, who was also looking at her. She grinned at him excitedly, and from what Hiccup could tell, her face was red. _Could it just be the light? Or was it something else? _

"Yep." Hiccup shifted his gaze. "It really is."

But suddenly, his vision became blurry, and waves of an unfamiliar aura shot through his body. The scene started to shift, each of the darkening light made Hiccup nauseous. The earth, clouds and sun started to shake, as if the whole world was collapsing.

"Hazel!" Hiccup could see the girl falling off Evergreen, towards the black abyss below. Their shared moment had become his worst nightmare. He felt his gut churn, and was filled with anguish and sorrow. For some reason, he knew he couldn't save her.

"All you know shall perish…" A dread filled voice, ancient and cold echoed throughout the land. "And you will be the downfall of it all…"

* * *

Gasping for air, Hiccup woke up from his terrible dream.

_Was it just a dream?_

* * *

**A/N**_: _Hey!

_Thanks for reading this chapter and I would once again like to state that I am very sorry for uploading this very late. _

_Please don't forget to review! It really does mean a lot to me._

_Ravenblack_


	21. Chapter 21: Dragons!

**A/N**_: Hey guys!_

_I'm very sorry for the late update. I know I've kept you guys waiting long enough for this one, and I apologize that it is shorter than the usual ones that I write. Nonetheless, I am happy with the outcome of this chapter, and I do hope that you guys will enjoy it as much as I did writing it._

**Chapter 21: Dragons!**

"Hey…" She said. "Wake up."

The young boy had fallen back asleep, despite the circumstances. _Man, what a dream..._ The blonde haired girl's face was covered in seriousness as she positioned it in front of his. Her hair fell upon his chest, and her eyes seemed a bit dim. Yet, Hiccup still couldn't shake the eerie feeling he had in his dream, and began to wonder if it really was a dream.

"Oh…" He felt his cheeks heat up. His face hadn't been so close to someone's who he didn't know all too well. "Hello."

She withdrew herself, smiling as she did so. "It's time for breakfast, Hiccup." She stretched her hand out. "We'll be having it with the chief." _The chief… I wonder what he wants with me_. Hiccup realized that he was staring at her hand and took it quickly.

"Thank you." He said, pushing himself to sit. The pain in his head had not subsided yet, he managed a small smile. _I am in your debt… _He thought, but didn't have the courage to speak it.

Hiccup threw the covers aside, and used his hands as leverage to stand. Beads of swart trickled down his face. Eliza, face full of worry, found his struggle to be necessary of her help. "Here," She took a hold of his arm. "Let me—"

"It's fine." Hiccup interrupted. "I can stand." He didn't know why he declined her offer. Somehow, it felt necessary that he stood up on his own.

Eliza gave the boy some space, and watched as he slowly found footing. Despite his skinny body, she noticed that he body a well placed sense of balance. She stared at him awkwardly, her eyes moving around, scanning his movements.

"Are you sure?" She took a step towards Hiccup, a concerned look on her face. "Yeah." Hiccup replied dismissingly. "I'm fine… I just need to…get a jumpstart. That's all."

"Hmm…" She pursed her lips. "Alright."

Hiccup slowly made his way towards the door while Eliza stood beside him, anticipating him to slip. Fortunately for her, he didn't. The young lad gripped the doorknob tightly, and put his weight on it for a moment, before opening the door.

The light was blinding, as if he hadn't seen it in days, and he quickly shielded his eyes from the bright light. The cold air attacked his body, making him shiver. The nostalgic smell of seafood and the bustling sound of a marketplace reawakened his senses.

"You won't see anything that way, Hiccup." Eliza chucked. Hiccup rolled his eyes but then realized that Eliza couldn't see him rolling them under his arm, so he slowly withdrew his arms, looked at her, and then rolled them.

He turned his head to look at the town, and his jaw dropped with awe. What he saw before him was something he really hadn't expected, nor was it something he would have deemed possible.

The scene felt too much like a dream. The village was situated in a small island, probably about twice the size of the cove. Large huts—five of them—were stationed in the center, and the markets and stalls were by the shoreline. Many small huts around the island stood on thin bamboo stilts above the waterline, and two wooden bridges connected the island to two larger ones.

"Welcome to Aria, Hiccup." She grinned at a merchant, and then turned to Hiccup. "We've got quite the display, don't we?"

"Yeah." Hiccup was still in shock by the landscape. There wasn't any information about this in any of the Viking map. He was still examining the area when Eliza spoke again. "We keep the dragons on the island to your right, while the other one is pretty much uninhabited."

"Wait, dragons?" Now, Hiccup was confused. "You've got dragons here?"

"Yup." She replied casually. "We've been using them to help us find food and other necessities for quite some time now."

"Wow." Hiccup said. "I never believed that there would be another Viking tribe to accept the dragons."

"Oh…" Eliza said softly. "Aria isn't a Viking tribe. It's mostly Greek, added with a little mix from other cultures. I guess you can call it a whole new culture."

"How are you speaking Norse then?"

Eliza turned her gaze upon the sky. "3 years back, Vanroy and I were on a boat towards the northern islands from our old home, Salvage. My mom wanted to expose me to some of the northern practices, and forced me to get on it. I didn't want to, really."

Hiccup listened to her intently.

"We were on the boat for 2 months already, and things were soon starting to settle into our systems." Eliza cleared her throat, and blinked. "But one day, as the morning dew had passed, our ship was sucked into this massive whirlpool."

"That's the same thing that happened to me and Toothless!" Eliza shot him a cold look. "Anyways, continue."

"I washed ashore here a few days later. They took me to an infirmary, and it was there where I saw Vanroy, and some…unfortunate other crew members." She paused for a moment. "Only we survived."

_Could it be that it was the same whirlpool that we were sucked in to?_

"Well, that's the same way we arrived here." Hiccup said, and this time, Eliza's face paled.

"Let's discuss this at the table." She said, her tone filled with panic as she grabbed Hiccup and dragged him towards a shady building in the distance.

* * *

"The stench was just awful." Hiccup recounted the encounter, and tried to sound as calm as possible. _Something is definitely going on._

"I see." Eliza said, getting up from her chair. "Are you done with your fo—"

"Oh, and one more thing," Hiccup interrupted. "We flew south was to decrypt an ancient stone. The northern tribes couldn't, so we figured that we would try our luck with the ones down here."

"Anything else?"

"Well, it heats up every once in a while."

"That's odd." Eliza scratched her chin. "Actually, you might want to see the oracle."

"The… what?"

"Oracle." Eliza gave the boy a puzzle look. "You know, the all seeing, ever-wise being that resides at the top of the mountain?"

Hiccup didn't mutter a word. "Nope, I guess not." Eliza shook her head. "I'll put it like this: A person gifted by gods (or as they say) with future telling and wisdom."

"Like the elder then." Hiccup commented.

"Not quite," Eliza dismissed the thought. "Ah, you'll see when you get there." She walked towards the front door, and opened it gently. "Your dragon went towards the peak too, actually. You guys must think alike."

"Well, he's got the stone." Hiccup took one last sip from his drink, and got up from his seat. "When do I leave?"

She contemplated the question. "The fastest way up the mountain is by air, so I'll hook you up with one of our dragons for now."

The thought of seeing new species got Hiccup excited. I mean, there was so much he could learn from these people! Moreover, he could share ideas, designs, information and what not. The possibilities were endless!

"Alright." Hiccup said, and suddenly remembered that he didn't have much time. Toothless could be in danger. "Let's rush, shall we?"

* * *

Hiccup and Eliza, accompanied by Vanroy now, paced quickly. The long, wooden bridge, held above the sea water by stilts, was steady and firm, something Hiccup didn't expect.

Hiccup glanced at the sun. _It's about half past two…_

"Come on." Eliza said. Hiccup noticed that the blonde now had tiny droplets of sweat forming around her face. Maybe _she isn't used to walking this far… wait, what am I saying? Of course she is! She's got to train her…_

Then it hit him: Did Eliza actually have a dragon?

"Hey Eliza," Her name still felt awkward and dry in his throat.

"Yeah?" She replied cheerfully.

"Do you have a dragon?" The young lad's voice seemed to die down as the question came out of his mouth.

"Yeah." Eliza replied casually. "Her name is Silver, and she's a Boneknapper."

Hiccup cleared his throat. Boneknappers were large, fearsome dragons that had a covering made purely out of bones. It has also been considered a myth, since only very few people have seen it and lived to tell the tale.

"You're joking…?"

"Nope." Eliza replied. "We actually have a lot of species on the island. There are Scauldrons roaming around the island, some Changewings, a Timberjack here and there, and of course, the Skrill."

_The Skrill…I've heard about it in stories. The Skrill was an elusive dragon with large, black wings and spikes all over its body. It has huge claws and uses electricity as its main source of attack. Legend says that if you get too close, you'd be shocked to death._

"You tamed one?" Hiccup asked.

"What?"

"A Skrill, I mean."

"Nope, it just flies around from time to time. Sometimes it steals fish, but we don't mind it. Doesn't hurt us too much anyways."

"I throw spears at it, but they never they never connect!" Vanroy exclaimed. Gosh, he was like a little kid in a grown man's body.

Eliza shot him a look. "What?" He said in his defense. The blonde didn't think that it was worth her breath, so she just rolled her eyes.

Hiccup chuckled. Somehow, it reminded him of his old home, back when he would roll his eyes. _Home… I don't have one…_

Hiccup didn't notice it, but they had already arrived at their destination. _I guess I was too caught up with all the info about dragons. _

They ended up in front of a large lake surrounded by a forest of trees. Small leaves and branches dotted the surface of the lake. In the center was a large, wooden ring. Smaller, wooden horns were mounted along the sides, and a long wooden bridge stretched from the shore towards the circle.

"What's that for?" Hiccup asked.

"It's for calling our dragons." Eliza said. "We built it over this lake so that it would be easier for the sea dragons the come. There's also an underwater tunnel that leads towards the ocean in case we need it."

"Nice." Hiccup said, "Could you show me it works?"

"Sure." Eliza said, and gestured her hand towards the ring. "Vanroy, if you must."

"Yes!" Vanroy ran over to one of the horns, positioned his mouth over, and shouted. "Nautilus! Come here, brother!"

"Brother?" Hiccup cocked his head towards Eliza.

"He likes calling his Scauldron, his brother." She said, using hand gestures in a quote and quote fashion. Hiccup chucked at this, and Eliza managed a faint smile.

Instantly, a large bellied, long necked, light blue dragon burst out of the lake, spraying water in many directions. It had large, round eyes, small flippers, and a huge triangular tail. The moment it saw Vanroy, it immediately tackled him into the water.

"Vanroy!"Hiccup was sent into a panic. The blow looked like it could have fractured a rib. Hiccup's body jolted forward, but Eliza held him back.

"Happens all the time." She said calmly, and instructed him to look. Hiccup turned his head to see Vanroy riding on the back of his dragon, no saddle or anything reins, just merely holding on to its long neck.

"Hey guys!" Vanroy waved at them as his dragon glided around the lake, like it was made out of ice. The Scauldron had such grace when it was in the water.

Eliza ran over to the horn. "My turn." The lass blew into the horn, calling a name. "Silver!" She exclaimed.

At first, nothing happened, but after a brief moment, the faint sound of the flapping of wings could be heard. Eliza raised her head up. "There she is!"

Hiccup had to admit. Silver was huge! The biggest dragon he had ever seen, by far. It was probably twice, or thrice as tall as Hiccup and wider than him by a large amount, an amount he didn't even want to count. The bones on its skin were just astonishing, as well as they were frightening, sending chills down Hiccup spine.

Eliza casually mounted the Boneknapper using a well placed rope attached to a saddle near its head. "Well," She said. "Now it's time for you to meet your temporary dragon, Hiccup."

* * *

**A/N: **

_How did you guys find the chapter? Please leave a review, and don't forget to put suggestions in it too! They are always welcome. Anyways, see you all in the next chapter!_

_Ravenblack_


	22. Chapter 22: Toothless

**A/N: **

_So it's finally here! This one wasn't too hard to write, but I did enjoy playing around with some new ideas. Anyways, please enjoy this chapter, and I will see you all very soon! _

**Chapter 22: Toothless**

He ran away from home, trained a Night Fury, beat the odds numerous times over and over but nothing prepared him for this.

There he was, riding one of the most bizarre but amazing dragons to date. "Is this the only one you could find?" He said, clutching to one of the four, long necks he could choose from.

"Yup!" Eliza replied cheerfully, flashing him a smile as if she was enjoying his discomfort. Well, maybe she was.

"Great." Hiccup's body jolted and he tightened his grip on its smooth, dry neck. "You just had to give me the Snaptrapper." He said, rolling his eyes.

The Snaptrapper, or its full name, The Devious Snaptrapper, was a large, green dragon. It had four heads, and was notorious for luring unsuspecting Vikings into its jaws by excreting a sweet scent. More like the Venus fly trap of dragons. There wasn't much detail about this in the books, but Hiccup thought that it was easily recognizable because of its four heads.

"Mhm…" Eliza said, giggling_. I think she's enjoying this a little bit too much. _

Hiccup and Eliza flew over the middle island, heading towards the peak of the next one. As they flew, Eliza told Hiccup to stay close to the trees once they reached the island, not wanting to go higher. "Why can't we?" Hiccup asked. It always gave him a rush when they were high in the sky.

"Oracle deemed that we shouldn't go above the clouds." Eliza said, disapprovingly. "Stick to the treetops, she said."

Hiccup could tell that Eliza disliked the idea of not being able to fly high as much as he did, but he decided not to comment on it.

They flew over the shore, and dropped down towards the trees, when suddenly, Hiccup smelled chocolate. With the wind blowing in his face, and considering that they were above the beach, there was no way it was possible.

"If you're wondering why you can smell chocolate, well," Eliza said, and pointed to the Snaptrapper. "Snaptrappers use their sweet scent of chocolate to lure prey into their large jaws, but they occasionally excrete the scent for fun."

"That's cool." _It's good to learn something fresh every once in a while. _

"Yeah," Eliza replied. They were now over the forest of the island, which covered about 80% of the land. "There's a large variety of plants growing around here too, and we've got some of the rarest birds ever known to man."

"What kind of birds?" Hiccup asked. They didn't have many birds in Berk, and even if they did, nobody would take the time to actually keep one as a pet.

"Well, for starters, we've got some Gulls, Flycatchers, Jays, Kinglets and Sparrows."

"That's a lot of species you have there." Hiccup said, raising his eyebrow. "Any more?"

"Yeah," Eliza crossed her arms. "There's one more species. It's very rare, though, and extremely hard to find. We've only spotted it once, and even then, it wasn't a clear sighting."

"What's it called?"

"We've resorted to calling it a Redven for now." Eliza said. "It's got red eyes, and abyssal black feathers. It's not too big in size, though, but it flies at lightning speed."

"Sounds interesting." Hiccup said, his curiosity pinged. "I hope we get to see one on the way."

"Me too, Hiccup." Eliza flashed him a smile. "Now, come on, let's fly faster." Eliza said, and signaled Silver, the Boneknapper, to pick up speed, leaving Hiccup in the dust.

"Well come on, boy." Hiccup said in an encouraging tone. "We don't want to fall behind now." He said, and together, they sped forward in an attempt to keep up with Eliza.

For a dragon as big as Silver, they were fast. Well, faster than he had expected. _The wingspan and the body weight should make the speed its traveling at…impossible. But I guess this village has a knack for breaking the rules, doesn't it?_

They flew over the sparkling, freshwater lakes, and across the vast forests of the gigantic island. Occasionally, Eliza would point out some landmarks on the island. Large crystalline deposits and Greek shrines dotted the assortment of trees.

"That shrine is dedicated to Poseidon, god of the sea." Eliza pointed to a small shrine. The shrine had four marble columns surrounding a stone circle, which held up the statue of Poseidon. Hiccup squinted his eyes to see that Poseidon was holding a large spear, with three tips on one end.

It was a weird weapon, nonetheless, mainly because he had never seen anything like it. I _wonder if it is actually useful in battle…_ "Eliza, what's he holding?" Hiccup said, turning his head.

"That's a trident." Eliza replied. "It's Poseidon's symbol of power, and a very practical tool we use for fishing, even today."

"Oh," Hiccup said. This was the first time he's learned so much in the span of one day. The cultures and the lifestyle of these people fascinated him, and he couldn't wait to learn more. "I see."

Eliza cocked her head towards the horizon. Noticing that the sun getting lower in the sky, she beckoned Silver to fly even faster. "We're running out of time." She said, as she leaned her body forward. "We still have to find Toothless, and at the same time, get to the Oracle."

"Great." Hiccup said, as he set his eyes on the cloud covered peak of the island. "Onward then!"

_I could care less about the stone for now. All I want is to find my dragon… _

* * *

"Land there."

Eliza pointed at something in the dark, and although Hiccup couldn't see very well, he decided it was best to follow her.

The pair in front of Hiccup slowed their speed, and descended into a large jagged hole that cut through the earth. Through the darkness, Hiccup could tell that the hole's edges were sharp, and deduced that he might not want to get near them. "Alright." He petted the Snaptrapper gently on its head. "Slow and steady, now. We don't want to hit the edge."

The Snaptrapper cocked its head at Hiccup, as if it had gone down this hole a million times, and back. "What?" Hiccup said innocently, and the Snaptrapper smiled at him devilishly. _Oh god…_

The Snaptrapper tucked in its wings, and went into a nosedive awkwardly. Maybe it had seen one of the other dragons doing the same. "GAH!" Hiccup exclaimed as he past Hazel. You'd think that Hiccup would be used to this, but diving with a Snaptrapper was a whole new experience AND he didn't mean that in a good way.

As they descended, Hiccup saw a multitude of tiny, orange light, and they approaching it, and approaching fast. He tightened his grip on the saddle, and closed one eye. He was now prepared for anything, well, sort of.

The lights came closer, and closer, but as the seconds past, Hiccup noticed that they weren't glaring eyes, moreover, candles. They were loosely hung, 3 candles on the right and on the left. It reminded him of his "airstrip" idea. Pfft, like that would work anyways.

"Seriously?" Eliza asked from behind.

"What?"

"Nothing." She said. "I thought you would be taking it slow. I guess I might have misjudged you a bit."

_It was the dragon! _Hiccup thought, but shoved it away. "Yeah? I used to do nose dives with Toothless a lot, so I'm pretty used to it by now."

"Oh, cool."

They flew in silence. How long had past? 10 minutes? More? Hiccup didn't know.

"There." Eliza pointed towards the darkness, and Hiccup turned his head to see.

There it was. The crevice, or as Hiccup had presumed, was not actually a crevice. From the beginning of the candles, it was manmade, and at the end, the tunnel expanded into a large hole. "Woah." The bottom was bigger than he had expected, it was the size of a village at the least. It was a pentagon, each side lit up by 6 or 7 candles. Small houses and beds littered the floor, and people wandered around carry books, herbs, and other medical gear.

"Stop staring," Eliza said, as he was scanning the area for Toothless. "The Elder's down there. Better hurry if you want to find your dragon, and decipher the stone."

"Right." Hiccup pulled on the reigns, making the Snaptrapper speed up. Hiccup, though, was still astonished by this architectural feat. He had so many questions to ask, but so little time.

They landed in the middle, and Eliza immediately started screaming. "Elder! We need the elder, right at this moment!" People immediately flocked to them, and pointed to a small house by the far end of the pentagon. It wasn't big, nor was it fancy. It was just your typical Viking house, except it didn't have a roof, something Hiccup found strange. "Let's go, Hiccup." She said, dismounting Silver.

Hiccup quickly dismounted the Snaptrapper, when he forgot to ask about his name. "Eliza!" Hiccup called out to her. She was already running towards the house. "What?" She yelled back.

"What's the name of this Snaptrapper?"

"Fourlon!"

Hiccup turned back to Fourlon, and rested his hand on one of the Snaptrapper's heads. "Thank you, Fourlon." He said, and ran off.

* * *

"Elder, elder!" Eliza opened the door frantically, her blonde hair flying everywhere. "Is—"

Eliza was surprised to see the large Night Fury, surrounded by hay and grass, in the center of the wooden room. Beside it was a long, leather saddle with strange and unfamiliar mechanisms to her, and beside that, was a large sack, by which she deduced, held the stone.

"Yes, child?" The Elder was sitting beside the dragon, her hand on his wing. She had long, grey hair, and weary blue eyes. Not the blue of a sparkling ocean, but more like the blue of a ship's fading paint. She wore a simple brown dress that covered all of her body, except her neck, and legs.

"We have a visitor." Coincidently, Hiccup arrived.

"Toothless?" Eliza saw the expression in Hiccup's face change, as the boy rushed to meet his dragon. Kneeling down beside Toothless, Hiccup patted on his snout, and turned his attention towards the Elder. "What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing." The Elder said. "Dragons get homesick every once in a while, that they pretend to be sick. The only way to treat him was to pretend to treat him."

"Oh." Then, Hiccup noticed Toothless giving her a look that said: _You really suck a lot._ After which, Toothless turned his head towards Hiccup and started licking his face.

"Thor have mercy on me!" Hiccup's tone didn't carry annoyance, but joy, and happiness. Hiccup put his hands up in a desperate attempt to keep himself dry. "Buddy!" Hiccup exclaimed, faking anger.

Toothless looked at Hiccup, puzzled. Hiccup, then, took the opportunity to smile at Toothless, and Toothless returned the gesture. Seeing this, Eliza smiled, and deep inside her heart, knew that they two would be inseparable.

"Ehem." Eliza said, using her serious tone. "The stone?"

"Oh, right." Hiccup said. "Buddy, do you still have the stone?" Toothless pointed towards the sack, and Hiccup fixed his gaze upon it.

"Elder, could you please take a look?" Eliza asked politely.

"Alright." She responded, creeping closer to the sack. "Let's have a look." She opened up the sack, pulled out the stone, and set it in front of them. The group: Eliza, Hiccup, Toothless, and the Elder, created a circle around the stone.

The Elder closed her eyes, focusing, and put a finger on the tip of the stone. Suddenly, the stone started to heat up and glow. Eliza's eyes widened as she recognized the color. She had spent a lot of her time in the infirmary to recognize the color.

It was the color of blood.

* * *

**A/N: **

_Alright! Please tell me what you think of the chapter, everyone! Don't forget to review and favorite! Also, one more thing, Thank you guys so much for supporting this story! I wouldn't have made it this far without you all!_

_Ravenblack_


	23. Chapter 23: The Passing of a New Tide

**A/N:**

_I absolutely hate myself for taking so long to update this story. But but! There's a positive and a negative to everything, and the positive for this chapter is that I've been reading a huge amount of books over the break, and I have come up with some new techniques to tell a story._

_Enjoy! (Still doesn't make up for the late chapter, sorry.)_

**Chapter 23: The Passing of a New Tide **

Flashback into the bright light, the starry eyed girl lay lifeless in bed. Luckily for her, her injuries had not been magnified, as she was well taken care of.

Her breathing had steadied from a rough husk, and slowly transformed into a soft, controlled huff. That relieved Sherry. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, caressing Hazel's hair, wanting her to wake up from her seemingly eternal slumber.

Her week had gone a little bit off the dangerous side, always putting her heart into a trance. First, the arrival of Astrid and the crew, which was rather unpleasant for the townsfolk of Thoughtful, and next, was the beating of Hazel, their beloved dragon trainer.

But the village put up with it, though. They weren't ready to risk anything that would destroy their beloved reputation. No, he wasn't ready for another war.

"Aldrich, you coward." Sherry murmured.

She couldn't blame him, though. The thunderous name of Berk was more than enough to send even the strongest of warriors fleeing to their homes. Hell, she could safely assume that anyone who had reached the age of ten knew the tales of the island of Berk, and its mighty chief Stoic.

As Sherry recounted the tales passed on to her by her mother, one specific tale came to mind.

It was once said, that when Stoic was a baby, he killed, and ripped off the head of a terror, leaving all the villagers in awe. When asked if I believed the certain tale, do you know what would always be my answer?

"Yes."

The tale of Stoic the Vast was—well—vast. It was also once said, that Stoic's son had immeasurable strength, far beyond those capable of any man. He was said to have lifted boulders, and moved mountains, all with his bare hands. Did I believe that?

"I do."

Hiccup's strength didn't come in his fists, and neither did it come in biceps, or muscles, or legs. None of those could equal the power that Hiccup possessed.

But let's be honest here, Hiccup is a scrawny, little man, without any actual training. He doesn't know how to wield an axe, nor does he know how to throw one. You could've said that he is the most undertrained, useless, complaining, sarcastic little runt on the island.

Still, Hiccup was Hiccup. And that scrawny, little man rides a Night Fury. He rides as swift as the wind and his Night Fury—Toothless—never misses a shot. He is a force to be reckoned with.

Suddenly, Sherry felt a shift of weight in the tangled blankets. "Where, where?" Hazel spat out. Sherry could tell that she was in pain.

"Shhh…" She put her hand over her lips, and laid her down to rest. "Hazel, don't move. I don't want you wasting your energy."

Hazel was just about to open her mouth to speak when Sherry stopped her once more. "No talking." She said. "Rest."

Hazel surrendered to her pleas, and hid herself under the sheets. Shuffling the blanket, she spoke. "How long was I out?" She said, her voice was muzzled under the covers of the blanket, like she had been talking underwater.

"About 3 days." Sherry admitted, and got up from the bed to fetch some water. "You know, you shouldn't have challenged Astrid. You already knew you were going to be at a disadvantage."

"I don't care." Hazel said, pulling up the sheet, and taking a sip from the mug that was newly parked beside her. "Anyone who dares to insult Hiccup—whether he is present or not—shall feel my wrath."

"I think you felt her wrath, Hazel." Sherry said, trying to keep a straight face.

"Oh, shut up." Hazel rasped. "At least I tried to defend him, unlike some people who just wait on the sidelines." Momentarily after she said this, she starting to cough, and needed to lie down in bed.

"You should really stop talking, or that throat of yours is going to be the one on the sidelines." Sherry said. "Seriously, do you really like him that much?"

Hazel pursed her lips. "I haven't really thought about that yet." She said. "I don't know. Do you think I like him?"

"I don't think _like_ covers it." Sherry stated. "It's more like love to me."

Hazel could feel the blood rising to her cheeks. "W-what?"

"Think about it." Sherry pointed one straight finger at Hazel. "First of all, you start acting differently by the time he leaves. Second, you defend him like he's your god or something like that. Lastly, I don't understand how you cannot like him."

"Uhhh," Hazel was at a loss for words, literally. "I don't know what to say."

"Come on, girl." Sherry teased. "Don't deny it."

"I AM not in love with that boy." Hazel stammered, trying to find her voice in this clamor. She didn't know why she was stuttering, nor did she know why he heart was doing jumping jacks. "Seriously."

"If your heart skipped a beat, then you're in love."

Okay, maybe she was in love, but so what, right? "Uhm, sorry, it didn't." She said, trying to keep a stoic face. "Hey, uh, I need some air. Do you mind if I go out for a bit?"

Sherry crossed her arms. "Sure, if you can stand."

Hazel slowly wobbled her way of the stable—now shaky—bed. She stumbled to her toes, and in a fleeting attempt, tried to get back up again.

"I told you." Sherry said, picking Hazel up, and helping her back into the bed. "You're not fit to walk, let alone stand."

"Right…"

So many things were going on in Hazel's head that she didn't have time to think about all of them. She wanted to leave, and not just for some temporary vacation. She wanted to journey into the wild, just as Hiccup did.

"Hey, uh, Sherry?" Hazel stammered. God, she was stuttering a lot these days.

"Yup?"

"I think I want to leave Thoughtful."

The moment she said those seven words, a pain in her heart emerged. The people here had done so much for her and for her to want to leave will have killed them inside.

Sherry didn't seemed surprised, which to Hazel's attention, shocked her. "When do you plan to go?" Sherry inquired; her voice was calm and controlled.

"As soon as I'm well." Hazel said. To be honest, she never planned to do anything like this. She could never have imagined herself leaving the island. She didn't even have a plan for where she would go. "Why aren't you surprised?"

"You're pretty transparent, you know Haze." Sherry confessed. "I mean, it was only a matter of time before you would want to follow in Hiccup's footsteps. You practically worship the guy."

"I do—" She had thought about denying it, but then again… "Whatever. Are you going to help me?"

"Don't you want to think about this first?" Sherry said. "It's a pretty dangerous thing to do, and you could get hurt, even fatally."

"I know." Hazel said, speaking more confidently this time. She didn't know where she got that voice. "I'm willing to take those risks." She could have imagined this was what Hiccup felt like just before he started planning his great escape.

"Okay." Sherry sighed heavily. "I guess there's no stopping you."

Actually there was. Hazel wasn't even sure she wanted to leave the island. Still, she had decided, and she knew that there was only one was for her to be happy. "So you're going to help me?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Sherry said. "I don't know whether or not your parents, or Aldrich would act upon this but…"

"No." Hazel cut her off. "We can't tell them, and knowing my mum, she would never allow me." She slumped into the far corners of her bed.

"Alright." Sherry said, and started patting off the little crumbs that lay on the table. "Does a week from now sound good?"

Hazel thought about it for a second. "Give me 3 days." She said, as if she knew her body all too well. "I'll be ready by then."

"Okay." Sherry said. "I'll leave you to rest then?"

"Yeah," Hazel said. Sherry opened the door, which filled the room with bright light. As she was about to exit the house, Hazel called out to her. "Check on Evergreen, will ya?"

"No problem, Haze!" She flashed Hazel a warm smile, and closed to door, leaving Hazel alone in the room.

"Wait for me, Hiccup."

* * *

The cold ocean air blasted the faces of the unfazed crew of young Vikings. They were ready to face anything, whether it is sea dragons, or another one of Hiccup's brainwashed followers.

Knowing that he was out there, converting people into his dragon cult was more than enough information for the teens to want to find him. But after some restless weeks, they had grown weary of their search, and were almost close to giving up.

"Keep the sails up!" Astrid barked. What great motivation the Vikings had at the start had trickled down into a small little bottle, begging to come home. Now, it seemed that Astrid had only wanted personal gain.

"I think I see an island!" She would have said that she needed to bring the traitor back to Berk, but now it seemed more of an "_I need to redeem my pride"_ sort of thing.

The blonde girl, sparkling and shining in the glorious light, turned to Fishlegs. "Is that island part of the Barbaric Archipelago?" Her patience with the crew was withering, and sometimes, she failed to keep it together.

Fishlegs scanned the map for traces on an island, only to be disappointed. "No," He curled the map into a scroll. "It's not on the map."

Snotlout's eyes beamed at the statement. "Does that mean I can name an island after me?" He came rushing towards Fishlegs, and immediately grabbed hold of the map.

"Move it, loser." Ruffnut barged into Snotlout and opened the map, wide enough for everyone to see. "I hereby name the is—"

She was cut off when Tuffnut snatched the map away, making a face as he did so. "Losers don't get to name islands, sissy." And so, the rumble for the map ensued.

"Guys," Fishlegs murmured. The tone of his voice hinted fear. "Guys…" He said, a bit louder, but they still wouldn't stop, and his eardrums started to recognize the sound of tearing within the edges of the map. "GUYS!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, causing everyone to freeze. "I need the map back, please."

Snotlout, who had gained possession of the map just a few seconds ago, gave it up to Fishlegs. "Thank you." He said, brushing the map and returning it to its original state, while Astrid cleared her throat.

"We're not even sure yet if the island is inhabited or not, so don't get your hopes up." She said, and walked towards the mast. "Though, it would be better to keep your guard up. We don't know whether the townsfolk are hostile."

"Right." Snotlout said. "And of course, I'd always be there to defend you, As—" His face collided with a fist, sending him into the wall.

"Shut up." She said sternly. "We can't joke around now, so everyone, get back to your positions." As she wished, everyone returned to their respective spots on the boat.

"I wasn't joking." Snotlout murmured, as he climbed on top of a crate to get to his spot.

Astrid turned her sights on to the island, which was a tiny spec in the horizon. She fixed her gaze upon it, and wondered if Hiccup was there. "Hmph."

Now that they had another chance at finding Hiccup, she actually didn't know what she would say to him once they finally met. A few weeks ago, she would have started it out with aggression, hurting him in every bone possible.

She needed to let go of the anger she had kept inside her for so long. But the past week had been a life changer for her. Now, she had begun to question the Viking code, and the dragons didn't seem too bad anymore.

Her encounter with Hazel must have sparked something. She didn't know it, but for some odd reason, Hiccup was essential in her life. Seeing Hazel and the joy that Hiccup had brought to the island made her question if dragons were really such a bad idea.

But no, she couldn't afford to think like that. They were Vikings—strong, brutal, and fierce people—moreover, she belonged to the village of Berk, one of the most well renowned villages in the seven seas. But were her pride—and her status on Berk—really worth more than what Hiccup could offer?

"No, they're not." Astrid said quietly, too low for anyone to hear. "They're not."

Astrid then closed her eyes, and thought about her previous life—the life she once had.

She was a warrior, born and bred to perfection. She was the rising star of Berk, and nobody would be able to topple her title as that. Well, at least that was what she thought.

Hiccup was the only person that could make her feel angry, and even less superior. He was the only person that could take away that title, and that made her scared. She didn't want to lose it, especially to Hiccup the Useless.

So she ran, and she trained, and worked hard to be the best. Hiccup just cheated, and to put worse thing with worse, he befriended the greatest enemy of Berk.

But now that she had thought of it, Hiccup had nothing to lose. "That's probably why he ran off so easily." She was talking to herself now. "That's why he doesn't care."

She had only realized it now. Hiccup didn't have many friends back at Berk—actually, let's correct that. Hiccup had no friends in Berk, not until he became the star of the kill ring. His instant success in the ring led Astrid to become suspicious, and observant of where Hiccup would go.

So then, she found out about Hiccup's dirty little secret, and of course, she knew what she did. But she wondered… what if she had given him a chance? What if she hadn't had acted the way she did? Would Berk be like Thoughtful?

She thought that Berk was a less happy place than those of the Thots, and although she always wanted the best for the Vikings of Berk, she didn't want to give her pride up for it.

It was what made her a Viking, and she couldn't lose that.

"I'll see you soon, Hiccup." She had her eyes set to the horizon again, gazing at its supreme and endless beauty. "I hope you're ready for what comes next."

* * *

The color of blood illuminated the whole room, sending electric sparks throughout Hiccup's muscles. Every bone in his body burned, and as he looked onto the people around him, but he couldn't say the same went for them. It was as if they were frozen in time.

The room seemed to be spinning, losing its binds on the world as each second passed. Hiccup could hear the screams of people, wailing, wanting to get out of the stone. But their voices were suppressed, and Hiccup could care less about them when he felt his whole body was on fire.

"Toothless…" He stretched his hand out to touch the dragon's snout, but as he did, the Night Fury started getting farther, and farther away from him. It was as if someone—or something—was pulling him into the abyss.

With all his willpower, he averted his eyes to the stone, which increased the volume of the screams. Hiccup covered his ears, desperately trying to block them out, but it was no use. It was like they phased through any sort of physical barriers.

He was just about ready to let himself go, when he heard something that plunged his brain into a state of panic. "HICCUP!" He knew that voice. It was too hard for him to let it go. "Help me, Hiccup…"

"Astrid!" He shouted, and tried to pull himself closer to the stone, which in turn, started to pluck at Hiccup's chest. "As—" He barely kept himself conscious, for the pain was too much for him to bear.

"_The cold rush of bones and dread shall wash over the mystical, brown earth_." An ancient voice resonated from the stone, making it glow even brighter. "_While the one close to the sun shall be drowned in her pride." _

Then, Hiccup blacked out.

* * *

**A/N: **

_Ah yes, aside from the fact that I have been reading a lot of books, my beloved keyboard also got broken. Since I was too frustrated to write something, I figured I would put it off till I got a new one. (Which is the exact same one because I really love my Razer Black Widow Ultimate.)_

_Anyways, I'll see you all in the next chapter!_

_Ravenblack_


End file.
